LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 









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THE WESTERN ECHO 

A DESCRIPTION 



Western States and Territories 

OF THE UNITED STA TES. 

AS GATHERED IN A TOUR BY WAGON. 



GEORGE W. E.OMSPERT. 



:f.u£fki 



DAYTON, OHIO: 

United Brethren Publishing House. 

1881. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, 

By G. W. ROMSPERT, 

I n the office of the Librarian of Congress, at TVaehington, D. C. 



r 



'.'\ 



AMI 



ILLUSTRSTIONS. 



PAGE, 

Frcntispiece. 

The Prairie Fire Ill 

Indian Cruelty 131 

The Mountain Lake. 282 

Scene in the Sierra Nevada Mountains 361 

San Francisco Bay 386 



CONTENTS 



PAGE. 

Preface 11 

Introduction 13 

PA R T I. 

CHAPTER I. 

Start from Dayton— Coal-Mine— Indianapolis— Illinois 
Roads— Springfield— Crops— Poor Water— Missouri 
River— Enter Iowa— Enter Missouri— Kansas City 
— Des Moines Valley and City— Western lowar— 
Fourth of July at Lewis— Council Bluffs 17 

CHAPTER II. 

Omaha— Homestead Land— Coming Onto the Plains- 
Cold Winds— Platte Valley— Republican Forks- 
Fort Wallace— Big Sandy— Old Battle-Ground— 
Arkansas Valley — Irrigation Farming 41 

CHAPTER in. 

Arrival of Lesher and Wonderly — Our Start South — 
First Buffalo Herd— Cimaron River— Strayed Team 
—Old Hunters— How to Hunt Buffaloes— Wolf 
Hunt— Prairie Fire— Herd at Ten-Mile Creek— 
Blizzard — Find a Frozen Man — Hide Season Ends.. 73 



O CONTENTS. 

PAGE, 

CHAPTER IV. 

Summer Trip Tli rough the South — Indian Agencies- 
Canadian River— Lion Fight— Red River— Double 
Mountain — Staked Plains — Pecos River — Indian 
Skirmish — Santa Fe, New Mexico — Return to the 
Arkansas Valley — Description of the Plains — 
Mirage — Dangers of the Prairie— Wild Horses and 
How Captured— Creasing Animals 128 

CHAPTER V. 

Cattle-Business Exj^lained — Branding Stock— Round- 
Up — Mavorick — Beef-Gathering— Stampedes — Ten- 
der-Feet — Stock-Raising in Texas — Cattle-Trail — 
Buying Cattle from Trail — How to Enter Stock 
Business — Sheep-Raising — Greasers — Texas Cattle- 
Fever 168 

CHAPTER VI. 

Cow-Boy History — Mustangs and Broncos— Cow-Boys 
with Six-Shooters— Dodge City — Boot Grave-yard — 
Prairie Mysteries— Dance-Halls— Sketch of Buffalo 
Bill— Theory of the Plains— Trading- House— Ante- 
lope Chase — We Prepare for a Mountain Tour 201 



PA R T II. 

CHAPTER I. 

We Start for the INTountains— Las Animas — Pueblo- 
Colorado Springs— Manitou— Mineral Springs— We 
Ascend Pike's Peak— Balancing Rock— Garden of 
the Gods— Devil's Hole -Return to Manitou 241 



CONTENTS. 9 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER II. 

Start for South Park— Ute Pass— Rainbow Falls— South 
Park— Bear Fight— Lead vi lie— Sallie Ray— Chimney 
Gulch— Trout-Fishing— Denver— Chej^enne- Black 
Bitter Creek— Antelope Springs— Wolf Adventure 
—Green River— Old Emigrant Road— Echo Canon- 
Utah- Park City— Ontario Mine — Quartz-Mill — 
Kinds of Mines— Prospecting— Start for Salt Lake.. 274 

CHAPTER IIL 
View [of Salt Lake Valley and City— Tabernacle— His- 
tory of the Mormons— Joe Smith— Came to Kirt- 
land, Ohio— Brigham Young Converted— Located at 
Independence, Missouri— Located at Nauvoo, Illi- 
nois—Joe and Hiram Smith Killed— Emigrated to 
Council Bluffs— Came to Salt Lake— Trouble with 
the Government— Mormon Theology 329 

CHAPTER IV. 

We Leave Salt Lake— Reach the Sierra Nevada Slopes- 
Tunnels, Gorges, etc. — Reach California — Sacra- 
mento— San Francisco— Hotel Runners— Fruits- 
Palace Hotel— Chinese— Dennis Kearney and Party 
-De Young-Kalloch Tragedy— Chinese Bakers- 
California Chmate— Ships— Golden Gate — Wood- 
ward Garden— Portland, Oregon— Washington Ter- 
ritory—Sail for Santa Barbara and Los Angeles— 
Prescott, Arizona— Meet General Fremont— Big 
Trees— Return to Ohio 356 



PREFACE. 



It is the object of the author, by this volume, to 
place before the people a brief history of the western 
states and territories through which he traveled in 
a late long overland tour, together with a sketch of 
the customs and occupations of the people in all the 
parts described. A journey by wagon through so 
much territory, by so many unknown, has furnished 
the author with knowledge that will be of so much 
value to persons who think of going West, and more 
especially to those who intend trying their fortunes 
in the regions of the setting sun, that he feels him- 
self somewhat in duty bound to reduce it to print. 
Many fabulous and speculative histories have been 
written of the same country; and, with prejudiced 
pens, they have been deceitful records. Far from 
this is the motive of the present writer. And he 
hopes the fruits of his labor will prove valuable to 



12 PREFACE. 

persons who intend relj'ing upon the merits of the 
West for a future livelihood as well as those who 
intend journeying thither merely for health, specu- 
lation, or pleasure; for to all such this work is 
respectfully dedicated. 

Dayton, Ohio, May 1, 1881. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Ever since there was an East there was a West^ 
and from the fact that the great race of humanity 
had its birth upon the highlands of Asia^ the latter 
has always been a land of discovery^ into which the 
boldest of an overpopulated country must make the 
the first strides, contend with the greatest dangers 
and exposures, and break the first soil. The great 
pair of Eden have wonderfully multiplied; and their 
posterity, like a mighty wave, is fast flowing toward 
the western horizon. This great emigration has 
been a continuous seige of adventure; and many a 
worthy life has been lost while opening the road 
that must soon bear the broad marks of civilization. 
Many volumes contain the records of humanity; 
and the most interesting and touching part of man's 
career is the frontier life, which has been a continu- 
ous battle in the wilderness ever since the first back 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

was turned against the eastern sky. What a 
glorious thing it has ever been that for every dif- 
ficulty there has been a surmounter, and for every 
wave a rider ! What a treasure to the world was he 
who first plowed the foaming Atlantic and moored 
his bark upon the shores of the great America I 
The event has proved one of necessity for the sup- 
port of the growing millions, and is a lesson that 
for every creature there is a home. The mighty 
rivers that flowed so long in vain through the East of 
this golden land now bear upon their bosoms mighty 
ships, laded with the produce of the soil. The little 
streams that rippled so long unheard upon their 
pebble beds, have all kissed the ruby lips of civiliua- 
tion ; and the splendid soil that yielded so long to 
the savage tread, has at last found a husbandman, 
and fields of golden grain wave proudly where the 
roots of the mighty forests have long since decayed. 
But, like every other country, the first part found 
has been the first overdone. One half of the world 
knows not how the other half lives ; and, likewise, 
thousands who live in the civilized and improved 
East are perfectly ignorant of the great country ly- 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

ing west of them. True, the land has been crossed 
and the history written ; but the accounts have been 
so varied that many who have a desire to find new 
homes and breathe yurer air, feel quite a delicacy in 
putting everything they have to so uncertain an ad- 
venture. Many examples of families seeking their 
fortunes in a land of which they have not even the 
most limited knowledge, — or into which they have 
been betrayed by the misrepresentations of those 
who value money in their own pocket higher than 
comfort in the poor man's family, — and returning in 
perfectly destitute circumstances, have proved this 
fear to be well founded. Nearly all the histories 
that have been written of the land now in view 
were got up by land-sharks, or by persons who 
took a single tour through the country, often on the 
train, and not seeing one eighth of the country of 
which they write, nor stopping long enough in 
a place to learn the ways and customs of the in- 
habitants, nor testing the soil, climate, and general 
prospects of the country upon which the emigrant 
must rely. Far from this method has been the 
means of this author's information, which he wishes 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

to place before the people in the present volume. 
With a deep conviction of common duty, every line 
is marked ; and the many facts gathered by so much 
peril and exposure will certainly be a valuable fount- 
ain to all those to whom this work is dedicated. 

G. W. K. 



The Western Echo. 



FA^RT I 



CHAPTER I. 

start from Dayton— Coal-Mine— Indianapolis— Illinois Roads 
—Springfield— Crops— Poor Water— Missouri River— Enter 
Iowa— Enter Missouri— Kansas City— Des Moines Valley 
and City— Western Iowa — Fourth .of July at Lewis — 
Council Bluffs. 

• Aback turned upon the State of Ohio is a 
back turned against Vd^i Eden of the Union! And 
to a person wliose lot it has been to be born in 
this beautiful land, and whose borders he has 
never crossed, to think of quitting a civilized 
and happy home to wander in the land where 
the savage screams and the growl of the wild 
beast may be heard is certainly somewhat em- 
barrassing. iTevertheless, being more than ordi- 
narily interested in the narratives of the frontier, 
the author, with two comrades,^John Routsong 
and Johnny Lair, — being stout, robust young men 

2 



18 romspert's travels 

of the vicinity ot Dayton, — resolved to test the 
truth of what we had heard and read by seeing 
for ourselves, even if it had to be done at the 
price of a hair or two. Accordingly, a topped 
spring-wagon and a good team were procured, 
and lightly we tripped along, eager to prove 
ourselves Davids, and anxious to wrap ourselves 
in the robes of the wihl buffaloes of the prairie, 
the giants of our own slaying. The first part 
of our journey, from its novelty, was the merri- 
est; and sweeter dreams thau we dreamed while 
lying upon the hard ground, with nothing but a 
tent to shelter us from the dews of heaven, were 
never dreamed by a king in his palace. Wish- 
ing to full}^ experience the effect of camp-life, 
we did our own cooking from the start; and 
never having graduated in the pastry art. we 
were obliged to forsake knickknacks. And how 
natural it was that we grew more and more hardy 
from our new diet, which we eat in the pure, 
open air. Being in the month of June, the 
weather was warm and the roads were delight- 
ful, and we merrily passed along until we found 
ourselves treading Iloosier soil. As we wended 
our way toward the interior of the state, equestri- 
anism became quite common ; and in some of the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 19 

back parts of the countiy we were amused at see- 
ing the people finding their way to church in two- 
horse farm-wagons. Many other little novelties 
and changes attracted our attention ; and we 
musingly passed along until we stood upon the 
bank of the Wabash River, where stands the 
pleasant little village of Montezuma. The stream 
is about two hundred yards wide; and being very 
deep, we found it necessary to take the ferry. 
This was something new to us; and as we floated 
across the stream we imagined ourselves in the 
3fayflower, plowing the foamy Atlantic, and car- 
rying with us the seeds of life and death. The 
former we calculated for all who wished us no 
harm ; but the latter we fully meant tc spring 
up in the path of the wild buffalo and the bear. 
Our imaginary ocean, however, was soon crossed; 
and having been told by the ferryman that there 
was a coal-mine up the river a-piece, we deter- 
mined to visit what we had never before had the 
opportunity of seeing. 

There lay the dark fuel, and here ran the tun- 
nel into the foot of the hill whence came the 
coal. Of course, wanting to see it all, we deter- 
mined to explore the thing to our satisfaction. 
The tunnel being but three feet wide by three 



20 romspert's travels 

and a half high, we were obliged to stoop very 
low. Onward we went, bold as the lion in his 
cave, lightly talking cf the great dampness and 
the little car- track that wound its way so far 
into the bowels of the earth, etc., etc., until we 
found ourselves about fifty yards from the day- 
light door. Here a slight caving from the side 
of the passage caused a panic in a party of three^ 
and for some minutes the bowels of Vesuvius 
never knew a greater rumbling than was heard 
in the tunnel of that coal-mine. When the 
weakest, — who had been trampled into the mud 
by the stampede, — had once more dragged him- 
self into daylight, we concluded that we knew 
all about coal-mines, and thought it not necessa- 
ry to penetrate anymore hills to inform ourselves 
better. Betaking ourselves to the wagon, we 
once more resumed our journey. 

Coming into the splendid city of Indianapolis 
one bright morning, we were greatly struck with 
its great life and beauty, and concluded to 
camp in a pretty grove just back of the great 
asylum and spend a few days in surveying and 
acquainting ourselves with the Hoosier capital. 
The first was reception-day for the horse-traders^ 
who swarmed to us from all directions. They 



THROUGH THE WEST. 21 

were all good, clever fellows, and offered us a 
chance to make fifty dollars in a single swap. 
The boys wanted to trade, but I had conscien- 
tious scruples against taking the advantage of 
such good-hearted, honest fellows, and prevailed 
on the boys to deal gently with the innocent. 

The great clouds of dark smoke that curl from 
the engines of the thirteen railroads, the deafen- 
ing sound of the car-bells at train-time, together 
with a depot that is surpassed in size and mag- 
nificence by but one or two in the United States, 
speak the advantages of this thriving and lovely 
city. Its court-house is also a model, being one 
of the finest in the land. Having informed our- 
selves to our satisfaction, we again pulled out. 

The roads having been good and the weather 
fine, our trip through Indiana was a pleasant 
one, indeed ; but upon our approaching Illinois 
we found the character of the country materially 
changed. The large beach-forests began to fade 
away, and before us, like a great ocean, spread a 
broad and fertile prairie all covered with richest 
vegetation. IIere,'too, the 'prairie-chickens began 
to fly, and small game became abundant. This 
was sport for us, and, with guns in hand, we 
some days almost veiled the sun with smoke and 



22 romspert's travels 

feathers — especially smoke. From the want of 
timber, fences became very few and the fields 
contained many acres. We were compelled to 
haul our wood, for cooking purposes, for many 
miles, upon different occasions. In case we for- 
got to take wood along when we left where it 
could be had, I shall not attempt to tell you 
where we got our fael, but will simply remark 
that he who passes through Illinois by wagon 
without pulling middle rails from the fences or 
tearing down barn-yard gates must certainly 
have a mighty conscience dictating for him. 

There is no gravel here, and the loose, black 
soil, dampened by the almost incessant rains of 
this region, render the highways rivers of mud. 
There were a great many emigrants along the 
road, bound for a home beyond the Mississippi; 
and to see them turning their honest faces in all 
earnestness toward the heavens as if wondering 
if something had not burst, was truly an af- 
fecting sight. Instead ot good hard pikes lead- 
ing into the cities, there are nothing but graded 
mud-roads; and we saw four horses to a hearse 
stall in the middle of one of Springfield's main 
streets, and in the center of town. A gravel- 
hank in central Illinois would be a fortune in- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 23 

deed, and by its aid Springfield could be made a 
most beautiful city. The state-house situated 
here is an immense structure, covering a great 
area, and supporting a flag five hundred and 
thirty-one feet in the air. Flags and military 
relics of seveial nations, together with many 
other curiosities, are kept here for the public 
view; and persons going this w^ay and having an 
ojpportunitij , should by all means spend a half- 
day in going through this great museum. The 
cost of the buildino^ is about ten millions. It is 
built of stone and is fire-proof. Being rainy, 
and wood very scarce, we concluded to pitch 
our tent on the common for the night, and go to 
the Central Hotel for supper. This was our first 
meal inside of a house since we started, and dress- 
ing ourselves in our long hunting-coats,with great 
deep pockets in the sides, we were the center of 
attraction and comment; and we naturally felt 
inclined to have as much sport upon our side as 
the landlord and guests were having upon theirs. 
Accordingly, we sat at a table to ourselves; and 
having caught the eyes of one of the fair wait- 
resses, we politely marked the bill of tare and 
began relating some of our great adventures, 
and Indian and lion fights through which we 



24 



had dragged our lives by a single hair. And this, 
with our peculiar expressions and appearances, 
aroused great curiosity, and whisperings could 
be heard, ^' Which is Buttiilo Bill?" "They 
are fierce-looking fellows, ar'n't they?" After 
we were served, taking advantage of the good 
lady as she turned away, with a sort of sleight of 
hand the roasted potatoes and biscuits found 
their way to the bottom of the great side pock- 
ets, and we called out, '^Potatoes and biscuits, 
please !^^ Apologizing, and having the good 
lady believe that we had eaten nothing for some 
time, we stayed at the table and played our game 
until the lady grew pale and the great pockets 
were pulling heavily at our sides. We now re- 
marked that we thought we could wait until 
morning, and, seizing our great broad-brims, 
started for camp. The lady, with a sigh of re- 
lief, looked after us as if to say, '' They must be 
powerful fellows ! A biscuit or potato is no 
more than a pill to them !" The next day there 
was a long article in the Springfield paper about 
three hunters and their mighty capacities. 

The street-car track is laid in the center of the 
street, and between the railing it is phmked. 
Taking this we succeeded in getting through the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 25 

muddiest city in the world, and arrived in camp 
safely, well pleased with our supper and the 
faithful lady. When the city was dead in slum- 
ber, and deep darkness hung o'er it, not wishing 
to disturb any one, we innocently seized a 
couple of chicken-coops that we found in the 
back yards, and then did our own cooking. 
When we were breaking up the coops into tire- 
wood down at camp, we were surprised to find 
a couple of chickens fast in the laths. This 
made me so mad that I jerked their heads off 
right then and there. John stood looking on 
with a troubled gaze, and as they lay there fat 
and motionless, he said, " Boys, it is too bad to 
waste those fowls that way ; I think we had bet- 
ter cook them." Well, after considering the hell 
we might raise by throwing dead chickens over 
the common in that way, we decided to make a 
stew. Feathers make very good pillows, you 
know ; and we were very careful to pick up 
every one. We stored the wood in the wagon, 
very carefully out of the way, and of course had 
breakfast very early — for you know how curious 
people are when persons are going through the 
country, and how they hang around their camp, 
especially if they have chickens. To avoid all 



2o romspert's travels 

this we had everything cleaned up at daylight, 
and then and there made a rule that no person 
should be permitted to fool around the wagon. 
That wood and those feathers were hard to get ; 
and one does not know what thieves miofht be 
lurking around. In a few days we pulled out, 
striking north-west for Iowa. 

Illinois is a level, ricli state, and but for its 
great rains it would certainly be one of the best 
as well as the prettiest states in the Union. 
There is a great deal of corn, and some spring 
wheat and barley, etc., raised here; but because 
of the little snow that falls, and the great freez- 
ing and thawing of the black, loose soil of this 
region, fall sowing is not successful. Stock- 
raising is the principal business of the people, 
however, and for this the state is particularly 
adapted. Land back from the cities being 
usually cheap (from $20 to $40 per acre), most 
farms are large and improvements limited. 
Barns and cribs are often but rail-pens, and 
thousands of bushels of corn lie exposed to 
the sun, only rounded on top to turn the 
mighty rains. What a contrast between this 
careless method of storing away corn, and the 
careful cribbing and covering by Ohio farmers I 



THROUGH THE WEST. 27 

The cobs are most all more or less musty, and 
the grain damaged at the kernel, and we could 
hardly get corn that our horses would eat. 
They feed most of it to hogs and cattle. Hedge 
fences are fast coming in use, and ere long the 
whole state promises to be thus inclosed. 

With a great deal of efiort we at length 
reached the western border of the state. And 
were I to tell you the true condition of the roads- 
during the greater part of our journey in the 
state, it would appear incredible ; for sometimes 
the ground, in low places, would shake for ten 
feet upon either side of the wagon. The surface 
is often dry, and cracked by the sun, and when 
you break through that you are stuck; and that 
is just as sure as the lorath to come. Several 
times we were in to the axle, and not a rail 
within live miles. There would have been the 
place to try old Job ; for if he did not curse God 
and deny all creation after viewing the situation, 
well might he be called " Job, the patient man." 
Being most of the time sick, from the poor 
water we found in the state, and utterly discour- 
aged with the bottomless roads, it is needless to 
say that we were glad to get through. The peo- 
ple told us that some winters they found it nee- 



28 



■essary to take the wheels off and tie soap-kegs 
to the spindles to skim over the mud. Spring- 
vehicles are very scarce in the country, and the 
most delicate society move round in two-horse 
wagons and on horseback. Roads that wo 
thought were almost impassable they considered 
good. It is amusing to see a party of young 
folks out ridins:, with sometimes four and ^ve 
•couples in one wagon, and boards across the bed 
for seats. On they go, merry as larks. The 
wheel runs into a chuck-hole, the board breaks, 
and like magic the scene is changed, and number 
ten shoes and striped hose are cutting the air 
like muskets at the battle of Bull Run. N'ot- 
withstanding our good times in hunting and the 
great hospitality of the people, we had enough 
of Illinois, and one glorious day we had the 
pleasure of standing for our first time upon the 
banks of the mighty Mississippi. Of course, 
the northern and southern parts of the state are 
not as low and muddy as the central part herein 
■described; but what has been said will be veri- 
fied by like experience. 

The Mississippi River is a quarter of a mile in 
width at this place (Keokuk), and is spanned by 
a powerful iron bridge. We had never seen 



THROUGH THE WEST. 29 

steamboats, and were much amused by observing 
them here, moving up and down like ducks upon 
the water. Like old Daniel Boone, we looked 
at the blue waters of the rolling stream and 
longed to tread the beyond. There we once 
more found ourselves out of the mud, where the 
hills were covered with beautiful trees, and pure, 
cool water flowed from the crystal springs. 

Traveling only for information, we had no par- 
ticular route, and for the novelty we crossed the 
Des Moines River into Missouri, thus eating 
breakfast in Illinois, dinner in Iowa, and supper 
in Missouri. 

Being told that there were many turkeys and 
deer in Missouri, we concluded to go south as 
far as the Missouri Eiver. The northern part 
of the state is very rough, and well timbered ; 
but as you go south the surface flattens, and 
many acras are still covered with the same sod 
and forests that accommodated the wild beast 
and the savage years ago. It is fast settling up, 
however, and rude huts are reared in all direc- 
tions. We were cleverly received in the back 
country, and never failed to be saluted at every 
shanty by four or five great hounds. Peeping 
into the house you will see one lying upon the 



30 " romspert's travels 

table, one licking the pots, one washing the 
baby's face, and the rest stretched out by the 
stove, — quite a pleasant sight, indeed. 

Visiting Kansas City, the great western empo- 
rium, situated at the junction of the Kansas and 
Missouri rivers, we were much surprised to see 
the amount of business carried on in what but a 
few years ago was a vacant plain. There are 
several large wholesale houses here. Everything 
is lively, and the business-din can be heard a 
long way off. 

Northern Missouri and Iowa are certainly the 
best cherry countries in the world ; for every little 
cherry-sprout was bending with the largest and 
finest fruit. Now, we were all very fond of cher- 
ries ; and knowing our cherry-capacity better 
than any other persons, — whom we had not yet 
visited, — we concluded to buy our fruit on the 
following terms : Driving up to a place where 
the trees were red and bending, we tried our 
best to look like gentlemen, — I mean fellows 
who look as though they would take a cherry 
between thumb and finger, and, after rubbing it 
with a silk handkerchief, put it in the mouth, 
squeeze it with the tongue, spit out the seed, etc. 
We then asked the owner what he would charge 



THROUGH THE WEST. 31 

US apiece for permission to eat a few cherries 
from the trees. I suppose we must have suc- 
ceeded pretty well in our trial to appear delicate, 
for we bargained generally for five cents apiece ; 
and, mighty Lord ! when we perched ourselves 
in the branches and began, the money did not 
pay the cherry-man for the time he and his 
family wasted in watching us, besides the cher- 
ries that our sort of gentlemen could and did eat. 
We never went over the same road twice; but I 
suppose they do not sell cherries on the tree 
along there any more. 

Going north from Kansas City, we again took 
the Des Moines River Valley, and went for the 
capital of Iowa. We were raised in a pretty 
country, and we passed through some on our 
journey ; but this lovely valley, about two miles 
wide and of the very richest soil, spreading out 
level as a floor and covered with rich, golden 
grain, the dwellings here and there all sur- 
rounded with trees loaded with beautiful fruit, 
divided by the Des Moines, rolling between 
banks all skirted with mighty sycamores, is cer- 
tainly an Eden to behold. 

Coming into Des Moines, we found a pretty 
city, with nice, broad streets, but no gravel. It 



32 EOMSPERT S TRAVELS 

is situated on both sides of the stream, and all 
the water is forced from Coon River. There i*^, 
not a well in the town. The new state-house 
had been worked at six years, and it would re- 
quire about four or five more to finish it. It is 
seven hundred feet long, and when finished will 
certainly be a grand structure. It is being built 
of stone, and its cost is approximated at five 
millions of dollars. 

Leaving the valley and striking west for 
Council Bluffs, we opened into a wild country, 
and for the first time realized that we were leav- 
ing civilization behind. The broad forest had 
entirely faded away, and the surface that had 
begun to wave at the great river-bank had now 
become very rough, and the steel of the hus- 
bandman had not yet pierced the aged sod. A 
broad, open land stretched out before us, like a 
sea whose w^aters were tossed by a mighty wind, 
and marked only by the dim trails that led 
from one to the other of the distant little sod 
domiciles. Great herds of cattle may be seen 
upon the hill-sides of this rich pasture-land, and 
large flocks of sheep are bleating in the valleys. 
The country being very rough, there is very 
little farming done; and a fence is a novelty. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 33 

Herders are employed upon these conditions: 
They are to take care of the cattle on the 
prairie for four months, salt them, and stand all 
losses, — unless the brand of the missing animal 
can be produced, — and while boarding themselves 
they receive one dollar and twenty-live cents 
per head ; and often having fi\e and six hun- 
dred head together, there is money in it; and a 
number of young men Und employment here. 

It was only with gi^eat effort that we found our 
way over the rough prairie and unbridged 
streams, in which we often stuck. The country 
looks as if God had carefully made the hills to 
order, and then fitted them together as closely as 
he could; and heavy rains falling here all run 
down the hills into the valleys, which are 
usually very soft, and many times the water 
stands very deep in them. There was one time 
(and which I shall not soon forget) that we 
came to a slough about fifty yards wide. We 
could tell by its look that it was a had crossing, 
and as far as we could see either way, it appear- 
ed the same. So, seeing several old wagon 
tracks through it, we pushed in. Starting in 
lively, we managed to get about half way, when 
the wagon was in to the hub and the mud so 

3 



34 romspert's travels 

stifl' that the horses could get no further. There 
we were in the middle of a slough between the 
hills of Iowa, and the prospect of our being any- 
where else for some time about as limited as a 
boy's show for victory in a fight with a red- 
headed school-marm. You may all talk of wis- 
dom, but I will bet a million if Solomon himself 
had been there, he would have stood out upon 
the bank and said, " Boys, you are in a 
worse fix than five hundred wives have ever 
been able to put me." But after about exhaust- 
ing our ingenuity, we at length unhitched our 
horses and took them across. Tying a long 
rope to the end of the tongue, we hitched the 
team to it and pulled the wagon on a lock. Un- 
luckily for me, I had the appearance of being 
the best wheel-horse in the crowd; and though I 
coughed and told the boys that getting into the 
mud and over exerting myself would certainly 
be the cause of my death, they still insisted. Just 
then finding that they too were consumptive, 
and limping with pain in every joint, I consent- 
ed to take my chances ; and after preparing for 
the occasion like any person would in such cir- 
cumstances, where clothes were scarce and no 
one near, I waded into the doughy sea. I held 



THROUGH THE WEST. 35 

the wheel from going hack, while Johnny pulled 
the wagon on a lock on my side. I would then 
draw myself up out of the mud, take a few long 
breaths, and after touching up my will-power 
with a little Iowa bog-sirup that we had along, 
go to the other side. We worked thus from 
left to right, moving a foot at a time; and 
at length, when the bottle could have been 
broken without wasting much sirup, we once 
more stood upon terra firyna. We had often 
heard of the valley of the shadoio of death, and 
right then and there concluded that if that was 
not it, it must be a fork of it, and if we found 
that it reached from the north to the south, we 
would go by the way of the gulf on our re- 
turn. However, after wasliing our horses all 
over, and trimming ourselves up to once more 
look like white men, we felt a little more ex- 
perienced and none the worse. We were about 
ready to start again when we caught sight of a 
middle-aged Dutch- woman, with two little mules 
to a spring- wagon, and a great coop of chickens, 
bearing down the hill-side to the same mud-hole. 
Willing to lend our experience, especially to a 
lady, we most politely spoke to her; but she paid 
no more attention than if a prairie-dog had 



36 romspert's tkavels 

barked at the road-side, '^ell, thought we. it is 
a nice thiug to be iiidependtnt ; but that mud- 
hole may bother you some, and may be the 
means of our becoming intimately acquainted. 
Sure enough, when she got to about where ?rf 
stuck, the little mules gave out and one of them 
lay down. You may all talk of whoops and 
halloos, but the yell of the rebels, the groans of 
the dying, and the thundering of the cannon at 
the battle of Stone Bi>:cr. were not to be com- 
pared to the shouts of that Dutch.-icoman in the 
midst of the Iowa bog. Nevertheless, neither 
the angry countenance nor the force of the 
brawny arm had any effect upon the little 
mule, which, like Job, had determined to take 
it patiently. If you could have seen the un- 
earthly smile upon her face as she looked back 
to us and yelled. " CoomJ' you would have been 
surprised at the great change one mud-hole and 
one Dutch-woman can bring about. Wading in 
to where the little Job lay prostrate. I took hold 
of his bridle and gave him a kick in the ribs and 
an English yell; and doubtless never having 
heard an English icord in his life, it apparently 
frightened him so that he forgot all about the 
mud-hole. The last we saw of the Dutch- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 37 

woman she was going over the brow of a hill, 
sitting upon the back of her neck, screaming in 
the key of E, the old chicken-coop tossing, the 
chickens squalling, and the little mules down to 
a mile a minute. If it had not been for that 
ugly hog to cross we would have looked after 
that outfit ; for the way that coop was bobbing 
it might have fallen out, and the poor chickens 
would have starved, for she never could stop the 
mules ; and you know if ire had found them 
we would have fed them. This was one more 
lesson oi experience^ and we started on. 

A few hours' travel brought us into the little 
village of Lewis ; and the next day being the 
Fourth of July, we concluded to stay over and 
have some fun. We enjoyed ourselves very 
well: and as the end of the orala dav drewnisrh, 
people found that we were travelers and gathered 
around us to trade horses. Well, we had one 
horse that wanted to stop very often when we 
were in a great hurry, and having given us a 
great deal of trouble, we concluded to cheat some- 
body to get even with Iowa any how. Of course 
we showed quite an unwillingness to trade; but 
when a fellow brought a fine young-looking 
horse around and warranted him safe and sound, 



38 romspert's travels 

and to work any place, we traded, thinking 
there was no harm in cheating a man when 
he proposed the trade. We swapped even, and 
he throwing a saddle upon his new horse was 
soon out of sight. Proudly we buckled the har- 
ness upon ours, and everything being ready I 
drew up the lines to start, when behold ! like the 
wife of Lot, his action had all vanished and he 
stood as immovable as Pike's Peak. He was 
worse than the other one, for she ivould go Avhen 
the wagon was started, but this one refused to 
go if you just stood him before the wagon with- 
out harness on. Then we pulled the wagon out 
of town with one horse and camped for the 
night. Of course we got him with a icarrantyj 
but where in the thuoder was the warrantor? 
All had vanished. Many persons came around 
with old plugs, thinking that of course we 
would trade for anything that would full. We 
told them he was the kind of a horse we wanted, 
and in the morning we would show them some- 
thing. 

Morning came, and putting the harness on 
him we put up the traces and tied his tail to 
the single-tree, when, to the surprise of all, he 
started off, pulling the whole wagon, the other 
horse, and all. The horse-traders swore the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 39 

like was never seen in Iowa; and they looked 
after us with wonder until we were over the hill. 
W"e were delighted with our success, and all 
went along smoothly until we got about five 
miles from town and came to a bridge where the 
dirt w^as washed away from each side; and the 
wheel striking this, he balked on the tail. We 
knew he had good shoulders, and he had shown 
us that he had a noble tail ; and to refuse to use 
either was an insult to us, and we set about to 
use compulsion. It was not long, however, be- 
fore the tongue was cracked and both single- 
trees broken, and the battle just begun. John 
went back to town to get the breaks mended, 
and Johnny and myself set to work in earnest. 
We had used kind words and coaxed him, all to 
no purpose ; for as long as you were friendly he 
was as gentle as a lamb, but as soon as you 
wanted to make him work he considered our 
friendship at an end. So we took him from the 
wagon and tied up one foot and put on throw- 
ropes and hitched him to a bush. Of course he 
refused to go, and every time he refused w^e 
pulled him down. When he pulled one bush, 
we put on another. We had seen bad horses, 
and w^e had heard of the devil, and we concluded 
that he was one fourth bad horse and three fourths 



40 romspert's travels 

devil We worked hard until late in the after- 
noon before he would pull his part of the 
spring-wagon. Just as he was beginning to 
work two men came along, going east. They 
had a good two-horse wagon, and we traded. 
We now had a good, stout wagon, and the next 
morning, after a little squabble, we had no more 
trouble, and the buckskin mustang was con- 
quered. Our experience w^as such as to make 
us tired of Iowa, and after determining never to 
cheat another ivestern man out of a horse, eveu 
if he did name his own terms, we rapidly 
pushed on until we stood in the streets of 
Council Bluffs. This is a neat, pretty little 
town, located near the bank of the great Mis- 
souri, and among the bluffs that rise mountain 
hiofh. It received its name from the council 
held there in the year 1804 by Lewis and Clark, 
United States explorers, to decide upon the best 
method of avoiding the Indian dangers. Hav- 
ing wended our v/ay down to the river-side, we 
stood upon the bank of the muddiest stream that 
washes the soil of the Union. There being no 
wagon-bridge here, we were obliged to take pas- 
sage to the opposite bank upon the train and 
over the great railroad bridge, which the Indian 
chief said looked like a ''much big spider-web." 



THROUGH THE WEST. 41 



CHAPTER II. 

Omaha — Homestead Land — Coming Onto the Plains — Cold 
Winds— Platte Valley — Republican Forks — Fort Wallace 
— Big Sandy — Old Battle-Ground — Arkansas Valley — 
Irrigation Farming. 

The great emigrant land of which we had 
heard so much had at last been reached, and the 
din from the streets of the great western exchange 
was borne to our ears upon the evening breeze. 
Omaha is built upon the side of a large hill, and 
is quite a pretty place; and being the wholesale 
city for many miles of the surrounding country, 
business is lively, and the people say hard times 
never reach them. We could but wonder, as we 
gazed upon these two cities, perched as they are 
upon hill-sides upon opposite sides of the river, 
and covering the surface which was so lately the 
rich pasture-land of the wild jnairie animal. 
Truly, said we to ourselves, there must be some 
virtue in the surrounding country which sup- 
ports these rapidly- growing cities. 

Eager to learn the true merits of the homestead 
land, we pushed boldly into the country, with 



42 



eyes keen to see the advantages and disadvan- 
tages of the great, historical, j^oor ma)fs home. 
Proceeding hut a few miles from the river-hanks 
we opened into the land of 'promise. Here lay a 
broad, rolling, and fertile prairie, all covered 
with richest vegetation and well watered in all 
directions. Timber had entirely disappeared, 
except the pretty little cotton-woods which gilded 
the banks of most all the little streams. Many 
homesteads have been taken up here, and the 
little sod-houses which dot tlie country in all 
directions mark the abodes of the settlers. 
Timber being very dear, the country is not in- 
cumbered with fences, and the dark, rich surface 
being as beautiful as any the sun ever shone 
upon, the scene, upon the whole, was truly ini- 
jpressive. A great deal of the sod has been 
broken, and the rich, golden grain that waves 
in the western wind speaks the great strength 
of the soil. All the latest improved farming 
implements are used here, and tilling and sow- 
ing those large, clear fields is perfectly delight- 
ful. Lands along the railroads are being rap- 
idly improved, and ere long the eastern and 
southern parts of Kansas and eastern Nebraska 
will find a place upon the first pages of the ag- 
ricultural lii story of America. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 43 

Many poor families from the overthronged East 
have found themselves fine homes here, and 
from the rapid growth of the country they are 
promised great wealth. The eastern part of 
Kansas being of the same nature as that just 
described, we simply remark that the voice of 
the pen is too feeble to do justice to so beautiful 
a country. 

Kansas and Nebraska are included in what 
Fremont termed the "Great American Desert," 
in the year 1842 ; and the settlers say that even 
as late as ten years ago places that are now pro- 
ductive were barren and sandy. It appears that 
the more farming there is done there the greater 
the dampness becomes; and they now have 
plenty of rain where everything used to parch. 
Some think the whole western plains will at 
some day become productive ; but more of that 
hereafter. 

Game is quite abundant here, and the prairie- 
chickens often ily up in such great flocks that 
the hum of their wings sounds like thunder. 
They fly very swiftly. Here the first jack rabbit 
showed himself to us, and upon our giving chase 
we were greatly surprised at his sudden disap- 
pearance with only a light streak through the 



44 romspert's travels 

air to mark the course he had taken. They are 
about four times as large as the cotton-tails^ and 
have ears about five inches long. "We had a 
great deal of sport at hunting, and spent many 
days wandering up and down this beautiful 
•country, visiting the settlers in their humble 
homes, and conversing with them of olden times 
and their experiences in the settling of a new 
country. They were very hospitable, and though 
a little sod-house and stable, with grass grow- 
ing green upon every part but the doors and 
windows, sitting out alone upon the wide 
prairie, without a fence and often without a tree 
to shelter them from the broiling summer's sun, 
usually constitute their homes, they are never- 
theless happy, and say that though their ac- 
commodations and conveniences are very lim- 
ited, and they do not get a high price for their 
produce, their crops are usually abundant, and 
they can live off of this until things can develop. 
It has been discovered by trial that timber grows 
very rapidly, and whole acres of little wal- 
nut and cotton-wood sprouts lately planted 
promise that at some time in the future there 
will be some pretty forests here. When this is 
the case, the birds will immigrate here, the in- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 45 

sect tribe — such a pest to the country — will dimin- 
ish, and the settlers will sit in their doors in the 
thick, beautiful shade, and listen to the songs 
that are sung in the green foliage. As it is, the 
flies are very troublesome through the day, and 
at night you are compelled to build a smudge 
and sit in the smoke to keep the mosquitoes 
from carrying you oft'. 

Thinking that perhaps this part has been 
sufficiently described, I will refer the reader to 
the letters which close this work for unmentioned 
particulars, and again turn our faces toward the 
west. We had not traveled many days, how- 
ever, until settlements had dwindled to lonely 
domicils upon the wide prairie; the dark, rich 
soil began to fade to a lighter and more sandy, 
and great herds of cattle tramped the unbroken 
surface'. A few weeks more and all vegetation 
had faded away, and we were upon the Fremont 
desert. The grass, instead of being long, slen- 
der prairie-grass, was short, thickly-set buffalo- 
grass. The soil was dry and scarcely ever knew 
a rain; and then it was that we found ourselves 
upon the great western plains. The surface is 
usually smooth, and perfectly delightful to travel 
over, and we could sometimes see for many miles 



46 romspert's travels 

around us. But the danger of traveling in this 
dry, barren wilderness, where scarcely any one 
lives, and of which we had been learned, we now 
began to realize. True, there were old, deeply- 
worn emigrant roads, one via Kansas City, and 
one via Omaha and Cheyenne, which we could 
have traveled with comparatively little danger 
or difficulty ; but it was our purpose to see and 
experience something new, and accordingly we 
chose the wild prairie. We had purchased a bar- 
rel at Lincoln, Nebraska, which we always tilled 
when leaving water, and with no guide but the 
compass we boldly sped onward, not knowing 
what each day would bring forth. The scene, 
however, was materially the same — one broad, 
open plain, stretching out like an ocean as far as 
the eye could reach. Our camp at night was 
truly a lonely one, with no company but the 
shy antelope that sniffed the air at a distance, 
and nothing to break the deep, death-like still- 
ness that reigned around us but the howl of the 
grey wolf, whose keen eye was upon our every 
move. Stretching ourselves upon a blanket, 
with nothing but the starry heavens above us, 
we lay dreaming of killing buffaloes, scalping 
Sitting Bull, and other adventures too numerous 
to mention. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 47 

We had often heard of the cold winds and 
sudden changes in the atmosphere that all the 
western country was subject to, but our first ex- 
jyerience on this score was while traveling in 
western l^ebraska, on the seventh day of Sep- 
tember. The morn was a bright and glorious 
one, and as we steered our way over the dry 
desert we remarked that a more beautiful day 
we had never seen. But about three o'clock the 
atmosphere began to change and the wind to 
blow a hurricane. In the course of an hour the 
soft, warm wind had changed to a howling, 
wintry storm, and we were compelled to un- 
hitch and picket our horses, and make our bed 
in the wagon as a retreat from the piercing 
winds which almost lifted us from the ground. 
It was almost impossible to keep warm with our 
light covering, and only after we had torn up 
every spare cloth we had to stop the cracks in 
the wagon-bed, we succeeded in rendering our- 
selves tolerably comfortable. A peep at the 
horses showed their shivering, and the big 
blood-hound under the wagon lending his tones 
to the winds that hurried by, spoke the necessity 
of sharing our comfort with him. This he 
gladly accepted, and without anything to eat or 



48 



drink we lay covered over head and ears until 
the next day at noon. We then stepped from 
our asylum to hear the last roar of the hurricane 
dying away in the distance, and warm ourselves 
in the sun which had burst its stormy veil. 
This little fast had keened our appetites, and we 
eat our dinners with a relish. After turning 
our horses to graze for awhile, and watering 
them from the barrel, we resumed our journey 
over the dry desert, and at length reached the 
valley of the Platte. This valley is \oide and 
levd^ and is carpeted with the richest pasture. 
With its cool, purple waters rolling through the 
thick shade of the little branching cotton-wood 
trees, piercing the dry, barren plain, bereft of 
bush or weed, it appears a perfect paradise. 
Great herds of cattle feed upon the green grass, 
and every ten or fifteen miles there is a little 
pole-shanty and picket corral built upon the 
river-side among the trees ; and here stay the 
cow-men, one at a place, to watch over the cat- 
tle. ^^They make a trip after provisions once a 
year, and of course do their own cooking. They 
always have the best of r^ieat ; and this, with bis- 
cuits, is about all they eat. It is very often that 
they do not see a man for several months ; and, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 49 

strange to say, they are used to that way of living 
and enjoy themselves better than many who live 
in a land of luxuries, surrounded by mankind, 
where the din of business is noisy and loud. 
They have five and six ponies apiece, and their 
buffalo and antelope chases over the river-hills 
are as pleasant and exciting to them as though 
viewed by thousands of people. We had many 
pleasant chats with them, and many a feast did 
we have together. 

1 had seen many heavy storms, but I assure 
you I thought we had entered the store-house ot 
thunder-storms when we came into this valley; 
for such terrible rumbling and glaring I had 
never heard nor seen. I tell you, when the 
thunder bursts forth with an earthquake shock 
and reverberates among the river-hills, and the 
lightning begins to pky upon the cattle's horns, 
these old hmiters and herders, who have been 
hardened in the wilds for many years and who 
have seen the bloodiest of frontier life, come to 
their knees. 

Leaving this valley we steered south-west and 
struck the valley of the Republican^ at the forks 
of the river, one beautiful evening just as the 
sun was tinging with gold the western sky. 

4 



50 romspert's travels 

Who can imagine the beauty of this valley, — as 
it appeared to us, — all decked with little branch- 
ing cotton-wood trees and carpeted with velvet 
green, winding its way through the midst of the 
broad and silent wilderness. The great herds 
of cattle reclining beneath the trees, tlie voices 
of the little calves borne to our ears upon the 
evening zephyrs, and the rude shanty upon the 
bank of the stream, all spoke of comfort and 
content, and we could not help recognizing this 
as a hafpy home, though far in the western 
wilds. The lone man who lived there appeared 
to be glad to see us, and we were not a little 
delighted to converse with one who had lived 
with his herds for many years upon the frontier. 
He told us how comfortably he could live there 
and how rapid were his gains w^ith so little out- 
lay. He told us that we could find cow-ranches 
upon almost every stream in the 'West, and ex- 
plained to us the way the business was carried 
on. Upon his telling us there were many bufi:a- 
loes a few days' journey to the north-west, 
among the sand-hills, we became very impatient 
and could hardly wait for the morning to start 
upon a butfalo expedition. When we were 
ready to start, he said we should be a little 



THROUGH THE WEST. 51 

careful, for the Cheycnnes had broken from the 
agency, and while on the war-path w^ere scalp- 
ing hunters and cattle-men in all directions. 
Johnny having stopped for a hmnc in eastern 

Nebraska, we were but two in number, but in 

our estimation — a more precious two never died 
in any country. There was as much danger 
upon one side as upon the other, however, and 
we were going for the buffaloes, Indians or no 
Indians. It was part of our ynission to kill 
Sitting Bull and Spotted Tail, and this might 
prove to be a favorable opportunity. 

We had not left the valley far when w^e came 
among the great sand-hills, which grew higher 
and softer until they were almost untraversable. 
Keeping in the vicinity of a small stream called 
Rock Creek, which courses its way among the 
bluffs, we traveled several days, keenly watchino- 
for anything that looked like meat. We never 
became careless, however, and the fire was 
always deadened before dark, while the wagon 
was placed upon some high spot for the night, 
in order to avoid the treachery that might be 
lurking behind the hills. 

Breaking our way through the soft, deep sand, 
we were compelled to travel very slowly. Sight- 



52 romspert's travels 

ing a single buffalo, upon one occasion, we fully 
expected to find a great herd behind every hill. 
That was the only one, however, that we got a 
glimpse of; and not having killed even a rabbit 
since we left the river, and our horses becoming 
very much worried, we concluded to turn back. 
The many skeletons that were scattered over the 
face of the country showed that the soft surface 
was not always trackless, and that Ave were not the 
first hunters who had plowed the sands of that 
region. However, the great herds that we had 
expected to find had sought another range, and 
not even a wolf howled in the deep silence. 
"We could but feel a little discouraged at so 
great a disappointment ; and as we journeyed 
back toward the river, each mile was an effort. 

We reached the river again after a circuit in 
the sand-hills of just fourteen days; and during 
this time we had eaten nothing but flap-jacks. 
It is needless to say that we were hungry for 
meat, and there being many cattle in the valley, 
we imagined the little calves to be buffaloes; and 
it was not long after sight, nor with much cere- 
mony, that we were eating something that had 
not stuck in our teeth for two long weeks. 

After learning from an old hunter, whom we 
met on the prairie, that buffaloes journeyed 



THROUGH THE WEST. 53 

north in the spring and south in the fall, we 
determined to follow them if they went to South 
America. 

In an unsettled country there are, of course, 
no bridges over the streams and chasms, and 
not many good crossings. So, choosing what 
we thought to be a good place to cross, we 
splashed into the waters of the Republican. 
The stream is about one hundred yards wide, 
and in some places is real deep. This was our 
first experience in quicksand; and we managed 
to get to about the middle of the stream, when, 
in about two feet of water, the wagon dropped 
to the axle in the sand. The longer it stood the 
deeper it sunk, until there was not much wagon 
above the water. Being lightly loaded we 
jumped into the water, and after lifting the 
wheels to let the sand wash under them, John 
lifted while I tried to start the team. But the 
wind was blowing and the water waving, and 
the horses being in about as deeply as the 
wagon, it was no go, and we were the worst 
stuck outfit that river ever knew. This was the 
first time that we had ever yielded that hell was 
upon earth ; and I will bet that if old Father 
Moses and his followers had been stuck in the 



54 



quicksand when crossing the channel of the Red 
•• Sea, and had felt as we did at that time, Pha- 
raoh and all his hosts would have been nothing- 
to whip. However, after struggling for some 
time the horses became as impatient as our- 
selves, and we began to yell desperately. The 
water began to splash. The cattle of the vicin- 
ity becoming excited, curled their tails up over 
their backs and began to run and bawl. The 
wagon began to move, and we w^ere soon safely 
landed on the other side. N"ot taking the Irish- 
man's advice, we had omitted laugliing before 
we started in, and being now too much fatigued 
we concluded that there was no fun about the 
affair, and only looked back to think what a job 
to cross a Republican and to sympathize for one 
moment with the poor Democrats. 

It had been some time since we had been 
where we could buy anything, and our supplies 
running short, we steered south for Fort Wal- 
lace, Kansas. This was several days' travel — and 
lonely ones they were to us, too, seeing but two 
men until we arrived within a few miles of the 
fort. We found most of the ranchmen of the 
vicinity centered there for protection from the 
savages, who had been scalping within sight of 



THROUGH THE WEST. 55 

the government fort. We were heartily con- 
gratulated upon our safe arrival through the 
very heart of dangers; but we had been told 
this too often to appreciate it, and partly con- 
cluded that it was not alone lack and chance that 
took us through, but that there must be some- 
thing bold or daring in our appearance. 

How like home it appeared to us when we 
saw the blue smoke curling from the chimneys, 
the children playing around their homes, and 
heard the shrill whistle of the engine which 
pierced the deep silence of the open plain. 

This little town is comparatively an insignifi- 
cant place of fifteen or twenty houses, and is 
situated in the midst of a dry and barren prairie, 
far from the beauties of civilization and cultiva- 
tion. ^Nevertheless, here were houses whose 
walls echoed the cheerful din of several families. 
Domestic animals w^ere feeding in the vicinity, 
and here were the United States wagons, passing 
back and forth to the fort wdiich stood in the 
distance. All this spoke home and comfort to 
us ; and it is needless to say that after a journey 
of many days in the solitude of the wilderness, 
during which time we saw but few persons and 
scarcely a trace of human mechanism, we were 



56 romspert's travels 

deeply impressed and let our reflections carry us 
back to the land from whence we came. After 
enjoying the novelty of the place, which is but 
a star in the prairie-world and connected with 
civilization by naught but the iron rail, we pre- 
pared for further adventure. 

There is not the least plant cultivated here, 
and the most exorbitant prices were charged us 
for our little necessaries. I recollect I wanted 
to buy a funnel here to use with our water-bar- 
rel. I had never bought a funnel, but I sup- 
posed a small one would cost about twenty-five 
cents. So I picked out one to suit me and threw 
down fifty cents to the store-keeper, and looked 
for change. Now, what do you think? Why, 
be stood til ere looking at me until I asked 
him what he wanted. " I want the rest of 
the price of that funnel." "Why, what is 
the price of it?" said I. "Six bits; the usual 
price is a dollar," said he. I felt a little sur- 
prised at being asked seventy-five cents for a 
little funnel; so I said to him, "Is it silver?" 
"No." " Is there any virtue in it that would be 
conveyed to the water upon running through 
it?" "No." "Well, then, is it a legacy from 
your grandmother? or what the thunder makes 



THROUGH THE WEST. 57 

it SO valuable?" said I, appearing somewhat 
curious. " Well," said he, " I will give you five 
minutes to settle up." "Well," said I, ''this is 
too valuable a thing to take out on the prairie 
and run the risk of its being stolen, so I will 
give you just five minutes to hand over that 
half dollar." He said 1 had bought the funnel 
and must pay for it. At this I grabbed four 
funnels, and told him that I considered I was in 
hell anyhow, and if he thought he could better 
or worse my condition any to just draw his 
brakes ; and we started for the door. He came 
runnino: after us and said he would let us have 
the funnel for fifty cents. We told him we did 
not need any funnels. "Well," said he, "here's 
your half dollar." "Well," said I, "you owe 
me more than that." " Why, how can that be?" 
said he. "Why," said I, "if everything else is 
worth so much, money is worth something too, 
and that half dollar has drawn twenty-five cents 
interest." " Well," said he, " this is hell ! " We 
told him that was what we took it for, and went 
on. He came running into the prairie and paid 
us the fifty cents, with interest, and took his 
funnels. If we could have got him a little 
farther from the fort we would have charged 



58 romspert's travels 

him compound interest and all the funnels; but 
under the circumstances we concluded to settle 
reasonably. We then picked up an old oyster- 
can and set it over the hole in the barrel, and 
with a picket-pin and the ax we drove a hole 
through the bottom of tlie can, and then had a 
funnel and a quarter for our trouble. 

We now steered for Colorado, due west. 
Stopping at the Smoky Hill Fork to fill our bar- 
rel, we were told b}' a ranchman that the next 
water in that direction was the Barrel Springs, — 
so called from the barrels sunk there by hunters 
years ago, — thirty-five miles distant. We had 
not had any trouble about water yet, and did not 
think it necessary to ask many questions. So 
we marched as true to the direction pointed out 
to us as possible, and wended our way slowly 
along, killing jack-rabbits and antelopes for 
supplies, and conversing upon such subjects as 
would best pass away the time. Oar barrel 
held seven bucketfuls of water, and the drive 
being but thirty-five miles, we were in no hurry 
and not as saving with the water as we might 
have been. 

The first night out was a pleasant camp, and 
a little chase aff'orded us great sport. Directly 



THROUGH THE WEST. 59 

after striking camp upon a spot whence we 
could see several miles in any direction, so level 
was the surrounding country. A deer was 
seen watching us in the distance. "Ah," said 
John, "now for a race." So, with carbine in 
hand, he mounted the gray mare ; and the deer 
was soon seen bounding away with head erect, 
and John in close pursuit. Luckily for me, the 
chase was around camp; and the fun of viewing 
that race was all to myself. The deer at first ap- 
peared to think it all sport ; but seeing the gray 
mare gaining upon him, and John's long hair 
streaming in the wind while hurling lead from 
the old carbine, he appeared to realize his situa- 
tion, and started ofl'as if in a race for life, only 
touching the high places. John slowly returned 
from the chase, and riding into camp asked 
me if we needed any meat. "If we do," said he, 
" I can get that deer very easily." " Oh," said 
I, " that meat is like the funnel, it is too dear 
entirely. I suppose we can do without it." 

The next morning, after taking our breakfast, 
we moved on, expecting to reach the Barrel 
Springs about noon, having but one bucket of 
water left. ISToon came, and no water was left in 
the barrel ; and the springs were not yet in sight. 



60 romspert's travels 

Twilight began to curtain the light of day, and 
our suspicions were aroused lest we had passed 
the looked -for spot. The weather was warm, 
the air dry, and our horses that night looked in 
vain at the empty barrel that lay drying in its 
hoops, and from which they had quenched tlieir 
thirst so often. Our sleep that night was haunt- 
ed with the thouglit of our probably serious con- 
dition; and the next day at early dawn, without 
breakfast, we hastened in the prescribed direc- 
tion, knowing that if w^e had passed the springs, 
which was the most probable, it might be many 
miles before we could as^ain find the coolins: fluid 
SO essential to life. To turn back to find it was 
equally as uncertain, so w^e determined to go 
forward. The plain grew very sandy, and the 
sun, without one cloud to veil its brightness, 
darted its torrid rays upon us with mighty 
power. Each hour of that long day was an 
-anxious year, and greater pains than we took at 
every little green spot and hollow to find water 
by digging deep into the soil could not be taken 
by any one searching for a morsel upon which 
hung the last hope of mortal life. Our ho7^ses, 
too, by their tardy gait, showed their great 
weariness; and the whole was truly a thirsty 



THROUGH THE WEST. 61 

outfit. 'Night came and no water. That night 
there was not one cloud in the sky ; but the moon 
did not seem bright to our eyes, and the stars 
did not seem to twinkle. We were alone in the 
desert, deserted by all animation, and without 
one single thing to wliisper to us a word of en- 
couragement. To see those poor perishing 
horses licking that empty barrel, and then gaze 
at us with their ears dropped to the side of their 
heads, as if to say, " We are dying of thirst," 
was enough to sadden any human, and to call up 
before our minds the terrible accounts of which 
we had read of whole outfits of men, women, 
and little children, whose bones were found 
withering upon the burning sands. God 1 
what must be the agony of a parent whose little 
infants are fast gathering in their innocent 
countenances the picture of death, and without 
one drop of water to give them in their last ap- 
peal ! Softly the night melted into day, and the 
morn brought no relief. But without showing 
one spark of discouragement, we pushed on with 
parched lips. About noon one of the horses be- 
came so weak that he could do his part no 
longer. We unhitched him and put the other 
one at the end of the tongue ; and while I led the 



62 romspert's travels 

fore horse, John whipped the hind one along, 
followed by the big blood-hound v^ith his great 
red tongue lolling from his mouth. I imagine 
many of the most sorrowful sights are only seen 
by their unfortunate presenters. We would 
have given five dollars for a cup of water as free- 
ly as we ever gave five cents for a glass of soda. 
Toward evening John became so weak that he 
was obliged to ride, and I could see that his 
heart had sunk far into his bosom. I wore just 
as brisk an appearance as the circumstances 
would permit of, and trudged along leading the 
gray mare and whistling as much comfort to my 
perishing comrade as could be done with swelled 
lips. I will never forget that effort ! I never 
could whistle a single tune in God's world, and I 
imagine that tune I got off then was rather kill- 
ing John than amusing him. J^evertheless, it 
was my best. 

About nine o'clock we made another dry camp. 
The country had grown rough, showing signs of 
water; and seeing a cow-track by the bright light 
of the moon, we were assured that water was 
near. But we were tired; and the first pangs of 
thirst having somewhat subsided, we concluded 
to wait for the morn. That night John did a 



THROUGH THE WEST. 63 

great deal of dreayning, and said so many fanny 
things that I am sure if there had been a short- 
hand reporter there he could have written an 
interesting volume, and might have had love- 
letters that would have been models for the most 
aflE'ectionate writers. In the morning I arose 
early and mounted the gray mare that had been 
so gallant, and then over the hills for water. I 
followed the cow-track that I had seen in the 
evening; and the tracks became more and more 
numerous, until deep paths were seen winding 
among the hills. After traveling about four 
miles from camp I came upon an elevated spot, 
whence I viewed such beauties that the occasion 
shall never be forgotten, though time shall iind 
me aged and gray, and my faithful companion 
far away. There in front of me, and at my feet, 
lay a most beautiful valley, carpeted with richest 
green, and tenderly holding upon its bosom little 
pools of the liquid for which we had so long 
searched. The little sprouting cotton-wood 
trees that decked the slopes of that treasured 
spot seemed to call out to us to come and see 
the beauties so rarely seen by aught else but the 
wild herds that trampled beneath their green 
foliage. Without the least ceremony, a gray 



64 romspert's travels 

mare and tliirsty rider might have been seen 
dashing down the hill-side toward the fountain 
of life. The cut'le that were standing in the 
water lasliing the flies, with great astonishment 
at the sight of their new visitors, readily yielded 
their rights to us, and in we went. 

Oh give me not a golden cup, 

My parching lips to cool ; 
But, like the ivild beast, I will sij) 

The water from the pool. 

As soon as we had all we wished we pushed 
oft* with all speed for camp. There, among the 
barren hills, lay the bay horse stretched out 
upon the sand, and apparently resigned to his 
fate, while John was sitting under the wagon, 
viewing the surroundings as though wishing the 
power to bring water from the barren bluflTs. 
Thouo-h I did not bring water from the rocks, I 
brought it in a tin bucket ; and it was quite 
natural that I should imagine myself the Moses 
of old, watering the perishing in the midst of the 
desert. After drinking ot the water John was 
greatly refreshed, and there was enough left to 
take the dimness from the eyes of the perishing 
horse. We now prepared to move down to the 
water. It was only wuth great difiiculty that we 



THROUGH THE WEST. 65 

succeeded in getting our fainting horse to the 
valley ; and it Avas an affecting scene when the 
pool met his eye to see him prick up his ears 
and stagger into the water. After we were all 
refreshed, we turned the horses to graze, and set 
about getting something to eat. We had often 
been warned of the great peril of traveling over 
the unmarked prairie without a guide, and had 
read of many outfits dying of thirst, but this 
waa our first experience. We had come from a 
land of plenty, and relished the many knick- 
knacks and rarities of a civilized country ; but the 
most pleasant draught we had ever taken in our 
lives, was that from the beautiful little lake in the 
green valley of Big Sand Creek. Some may 
relish liquors^ while others will choose milder 
and more delicate drinks; but when your sys- 
tem is racked with a thirsty fever, and the blood 
is drying in your veins, then is naught half so 
delicious as the unadulterated fluid that flows so 
freely from the fountain of nature. There were 
many antelopes here; and we camped for several 
days in this beautiful valley, recruiting our 
weary team upon the rich pasture, and killing 
antelopes and drying their meat. 



eQ romspert's travels 

One clear evening, while sitting in our lonely 
camp watching the sun as it sunk low in the far 
horison, we saw an object moving in the dim 
distance. Quickly the glass was sighted and the 
focus told the person of a man on horseback 
moving toward us. We were overjo^^ed at this 
sight, and were glad to meet one who could tell 
us where we were and explain the surrounding. 
We received him most cordially, and after feast- 
in sr him to the best we had, we all felt refreshed 
and seated ourselves for a chat. He told us that 
we were upon the Big Sandy, forty miles above 
the Arkansas River, into which it flows, and 
that we would find cow-ranches all the way 
down. He said he lived at the mouth of the 
creek, and gave us the history of the country 
through the many years that he had been breath- 
ing pure western air. New-comers on the plains 
are called tender feet; and having been called 
that before, we concluded to take advantage of 
this occasion and be as big an Indian-killing 
outfit as any he could tell of, though of course 
we were strangers in that ^^ar^ of the country. 
After he had narrated some interesting events, 
we began telling some of our experiences, and 
among other things incidentally mentioned our 



THROUGH THE WEST. 67 

coming across from Wallace. Upon his asking 
us if we had struck the Barrel Springs^ we told 
him that we had not, and he was very much as- 
tonished and wondered how we got across. 
*'0h," said John, " it only took a couple of days 
to come across; and any outfit that could not 
travel two or three days without food or drink, 
were what we called tender feet in our country." 
I then took the opportunity to inquire what 
kind of a place the springs was. He told us that 
they were at the end of a gravel -ridge, where 
stood quite a little bush ; and at that season of 
the year you would have to dig about two or 
three feet into the earth to find water. This was 
a sufficient description to fully convince us that 
this was not the place we were looking for; and 
it was no wonder that we had passed them in 
looking for a stream of water springing from the 
ground with a flow of a hundred gallons per 
minute. We made no reply, but looked at each 
other as much as to say, " Springs in this country 
are not such as we are used to.'' Twilight was 
gathering, and after telling us the old battle- 
ground where General Chivington and his fol- 
lowers massacred five hundred Indians one 
morning before breakfast, several years ago, was 



68 romspert's travels 

but a few miles above us, he said that he would 
go, as he wanted to stop at a ranch two miles be- 
low for the night. Bidding us good-night, and 
asking us to call upon him as we passed, we 
parted. 

We could not rest until we went to see this 
spot so well known to every person throughout 
that whole country, and survey the ground 
where so many eyes were closed in death in one 
short hour. We found the spot marked by 
many old pieces of camp-equipments, bows, and 
saddles, etc., all pierced with bullets, while the 
many skeletons that lay bleaching in the sun 
told the number of ponies that fell in that great 
struggle. The same barren hills that re-echoed 
the screams of the squaws and papooses, and the 
whoop of the warriors, are still overlooking the 
spot ; the same little trees that spread their ten- 
der branches over a slumbering nation upon that 
last night, though all filled with lead, were 
still waving in the breeze. But where, oh, 
where is the warrior and his family ! They are 
sleeping in the little green mounds beneath the 
same trees under which they fell, and their war- 
cries are no more to be heard. The war-dance is 
over and the gory hatchet lies rusting in the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 69 

earth. The wild herds are unconsciously crop- 
ping the rich grass from the graves, and in a few 
years the fate and memory of a whole nation 
will be buried in the solitude of Sand Creek 
Valley. The scene made an impression upon 
my mind that time can not obliterate, and in 
silence we turned away. 

We had now spent several days in this beauti- 
ful valley ; and our team with ourselves having 
become thoroughly recruited, we again broke 
camp and wound slowly down the creek toward 
the river. Cattle became very numerous as we 
advanced, and we had many a good chat with 
the cow-boys who stayed in the little pole-cabins 
to watch over the cattle. 

In a few days we were in sight of the Arkan- 
sas Valley, and heard the roar of the great 
stream. The river rolls through a most lovely 
valley about two miles wide; and thousands of 
cattle are pasturing upon the rich grass. Thick 
groves of cotton-ivood skirted the banks, and a 
merrier party than we while reclining in the 
green shade of the little trees never pegged a tent 
to the soil. 

It was now the latter part of August ; and the 
weather being very warm, we concluded to wan- 
der up and down the river, fishing and hunting 



70 



to pass away the time until October, when we in- 
tended to go south for a winter's hunt. There is 
much of this valley horaesteaded and pre-empt- 
ed, and many little pole and adobe-shanties deck 
this pretty level bank. Here we could hear the 
voice of the merry housewife, and the din of the 
playing children was borne to our ears upon the 
evening breeze. It had been some time, — aside 
from Wallace, — since we had seen settlements of 
this kind ; and cultivating their acquaintances^ 
we found them quite hospitable, and spent many 
a happy evening in their modest little homes. 

Lt was here for the first time that we saw farm- 
ing done by irrigation — this being the only way 
anything whatever can be raised in these parts 
where there is not a sprinkle for sometimes nine 
months at a period. Upon the principle of a 
mill-race, they go away up the river, and at some 
good place lead the water from the stream into a 
ditch which winds along the edge of the plain, 
according to the fall, until it is higher than the 
valley, which is usually very level, as though de- 
signed by the great Creator to be thus used. 
This ditch is sometimes owned by the land- 
owners, and sometimes by companies, who charge 
the settlers so much per annum for the water to 
irrigate. The channel ofttimes is very long, and it 



THROUGH THE WEST. 71 

there are many farmers along its borders, stock in 
this is well invested. When the water is at hand, 
the land is plowed and the seed is sown or 
planted in the loose, sandy soil. The gates at 
the ditch are then lifted, and with hoe and shovel 
they watch and see that the surface is all covered 
with water. If corn or potatoes are planted, a 
furrow is drawn along each side of the row, and 
the water is let to course through these until the 
soil is thoroughly saturated. This irrigation 
must be done usually once or twice a week, de- 
pending somewhat upon the temperature of the 
atmosphere and the nature and condition of the 
soil. We have seen some good crops thus raised ; 
and strange to say, some persons who have lived 
here for several years say they would farm in 
no other country; "for," they say, "we do our 
own raining, and never have droughts or floods." 
Of course we were very glad to see them so well 
satisfied with their fortunes; but as for us, we 
preferred living in God's country, where the water 
falls from the clouds. 

Following the river east, claims became more 
and more numerous until we arrived at Wichita, 
when we found the whole valley settled up, and 
were surprised to see the great buffalo-range of 
so few years ago bearing upon its bosom great 



72 romspert's travels 

fields of rich, golden grain. Going west toward 
the mountains, the farmers became fewer and 
fewer, and the valley and plain are left to 
the stock-men. About sunset thousands of 
cattle may be seen coming in to water from all 
directions, until the whole valley is a moving 
mass. The plain is high and dry, covered with 
a thick growth of buffalo-grass, and perfectly 
destitute of all else. 'Not even a bash can be 
seen except along the streams or little lakes, 
which are often forty and fifty miles apart. The 
cattle and all wild animals range along the 
water, feeding five and six miles out upon the 
plain. The waters on tlie plains stand in pools, 
in long, deep arrowas ; and in the spring, when 
the snow melts in the mountains, the water 
courses its way through these gulches toward the 
rivers. The rest of the year they are but j^ools ; 
and these seldom dry up. Crossing over the dry 
plain from one water to another, a journey of 
often a couple of days, without seeing so much 
as a wolf to break the monotony, it is needless to 
say that upon coming into one of the valleys it 
appears like entering a paradise. Having spent 
several weeks hunting over these parts, it was 
now the latter part of September, and we pre- 
pared to start south for a buftalo hunt. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 73 



CHAPTER IIL 

Arrival of Lesher and Wonderly— Our Start South— First 
Buffalo Herd— Cimaron River— Strayed Team— Old Hunt- 
ers — How to Hunt Buffaloes— Wolf Hunt— Prairie Fire- 
Herd at Ten-Mile Creek— Blizzard— Find a Frozen Man- 
Hide Season Ends. 

When the October sun was creeping from the 
horizon and the melancholy winds were roaring 
over the dr}^ brown prairie, two young men of 
Montgomery County, Ohio, — Charles Wonderly 
and David Lesher, — came out on the train and 
met us at Granada. Being now a party of four, 
we were well prepared, and went to Las Animas 
to lay in supplies for a buffalo campaign. We 
bought flour, meal, salt, pepper, tobacco, etc., 
and a few sacks of corn to feed our horses when 
the winter's snow had come. We also took a 
keg of brandy, for snake-bites, and enough am- 
munition to kill everything in Texas. We then 
came east, into the Arkansas Valley, intending 
to strike south from Granada. 

When we got within fifteen miles of Granada 
some cow-boys came riding up the valley, spur- 



74 romspert's travels 

ring their ponies to their utmost, and warning- 
settlers that a band of Cheyennes had been seen 
down the river. Great excitement prevailed for 
the safety of the wives and children, who — there 
being but a few families — were hurried to the 
ranche of Captain Irwin. We brought our po- 
nies under the cover of our guns, and took 
quarters in the same adobe hut. 

John and myself had seen a little skirmishing 
before, and by this time were pretty well accli- 
mated; but Dave and diaries! — boys just from 
protected homes and the quietude of civilization, 
— imagine their feelings after reading of the 
bloody deeds of the red-man, and now that their 
yells were in their very ears. 

The windows and port-holes were thrown 
open, and with Sharpe's rifles in our hands we 
keenly watched for a red devil upon whom to 
try our skill. 

There was a scliool-marm staying there, to 
teach the children of Mr. Irwin, and with her I 
had previously become acquainted. After wait- 
ing for some time for Indians, I concluded to 
take advantage of the occasion, and to beat my 
sword into a praning-hook and try to hook a 
little love out of tlie school-marm. She was late 



THROUGH THE WEST. 75 

from the East, and, it is needless to say, wa& 
much excited. This made her quite gentle; and 
by assuming a brave appearance, with my big 
gun in hand and telling her there was no danger^ 
I gained her confidence, and she hung to my 
arm Uke a squirrel to a hickory sapling when 
hunters are thick. You may all talk about In- 
dians being good marksmen, but I will venture 
to say that there is not an Indian in the whole 
Che^^enne nation that could shoot me nearer the 
heart than did that school-marm in the little 
adobe ranche. 

Hours flew by like leaves before the wind, and 
at length a man came riding up and stated that 
he was the person who gave the alarm. He was 
a tender-foot cow-boy. He stated that one of 
their boys had started upon his pony to cross the 
plain to another range about twenty miles dis- 
tant; that just as he was going over the raise he 
saw four or Ave Indians on horseback cut him 
oif from camp and chase him out of sight, quirt- 
ing their ponies to their utmost speed. He had 
also heard a shot tired, and which he supposed 
had told his death. We questioned him very 
closely, and told him how he might have been 
deceived; but he was very positive, and said he 



76 



would swear to his statement. At this, four of 
us, well mounted and with each a brace of six- 
shooters and a Sharpe's rifle, started out to trace 
up our friend. We went to the raise where he 
said he had seen them pass over, and b}^ a care- 
ful examination could discover but one horse- 
track in the sand, and this showed that the horse 
had been running. After scouring the country 
for several miles and seeing but the single track, 
all began to theorize how he might have been 
deceived; and although he expressed himself 
very positive, we concluded to go back and wait 
until morning, when the young man was to 
•come back. 

It was an anxious night for the settlers, who 
•expected a general slaughter in the valley; and 
the bloody outrages committed in the neigboring 
ranges, of which reports had been coming in 
daily from all directions, lent terror to those 
who had infants to protect. As for me^ Indians 
•or no Indians, what cared I so the school-marm 
•came off safely ! 

At last the darkness began to give way to the 
light of the morn; and about nine o'clock, 
through a field-glass, from a house-top, an object 
was sighted in the distance. Nearer and nearer 



THROUGH THE WEST. 77 

and plainer and plainer it became, until we were 
all satisfied that the lost was found and the dead 
had come to life. He was much surprised at the 
excitement his little chase had caused. He said 
that just as he was going over the raise he 
chased four great sand-hill cranes, and shot at 
them over the hill. The scene was now ex- 
plained and the mystery solved. These cranes 
are large, and in flying along close to the ground 
our friend had imagined the long, slender wings 
whipping the air, to be Indian arms whipping 
their ponies; and knowing them to be in the 
country still colored the imagination. The 
young man was much mortified at his deception . 
and they all laughed at him so much that he 
peered toward the hills as though wishing the 
Indians would come and ally with him to kill 
the whole valley. This little incident taught us 
to always be on our guard and to never run 
until we saw the elephant. 

The school-marm thanked me for my kind- 
ness, and gave me an afi'ectionate good-by; and 
as we pulled out she looked after us, and Dave 
and Charles drew long breaths, as though envy- 
ing me my afl:ectionate relations with the Birdie 
of the prairie. 



78 romspert's travels 

Leaving the valley and going south, we came 
upon a broad, level plain, where the horizon 
looked like a great wagon-wheel and we could 
see many miles in all directions. The first water 
was Fluiii Creek, in nine miles. This is a dry 
gulch running through the prairie, with pools 
every mile or two. In very dry summers they 
become dry. The n^t water was Butte Creek, in 
six miles; and here we camped for the night. 
This is like Plum Creek, only the gulch is very 
deep and the country is extremely rough upon 
either side. The valley is full of cotton-wood 
trees and brier-bushes; and the hungry wolves 
howled loudly behind every hill. Dave and 
Charles had heard too much about wolves to rest 
easily where they were so numerous; and the 
roar of their rifles and six-shooters made the 
night a lively one. In the morning several big 
grays lay dead in the valley as the result of the 
late lead-storm. I told them that they would 
have to be saving with the ammunition: but 
they said ammunition would be of no use when 
they were devoured by wolves, and we would 
have been eaten up alive that very night had 
they not fought so hard; "for," said they, "as 
we sat by the fire their eyes glittered among the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 79 

hills like stars in the heavens, and every now 
and then a big fellow would howl out at our 
very sides, as much as to say, 'I got him.' " 

We took an early start, ai)d traveled over the 
dry country until the sun was hiding himself in 
the west, when, having traveled full thirty miles, 
we again came among the hills and caught sight 
of the tops of some little trees that grew in a 
deep gulch, and we knew we were now near 
water. 

We had advanced but a short distance after 
sighting the trees when we also saw some dark 
objects just beyond. "Buffaloes!" was the first 
flash through our minds ; and onr field-glass 
told us that we were right. Buff'aloes were what 
we were hunting; and, mounting my pony, with 
my big Sharpe in hand, I was soon wending my 
way down the deep, dry gulch until I was just 
opposite the herd; and, tying the pony to a cot- 
ton-wood, I crawled up to survey. There were 
thirty-eight in the herd, and they were leisurely 
feeding up a green ravine that lay parallel with 
Bear Creek and led into it some distance below. 
They were several hundred yards south of me, 
but by crawling cautiously along I succeeded in 
getting into the ravine about four hundred yards 



80 



above them without being noticed, and impa- 
tiently awaited the oncome. When they got 
within about three hundred yards of rae some 
of the old bulls appeared to see me, and, with 
heads erect, on they came, stopping at intervals 
to paw the earth and ring my ears with their 
bellowing. The whole herd at length saw me, 
and curiously started to inspect the dark object 
stretched out upon the plain before them. I 
thought about shooting until they were within 
two hundred yards of me, when my giant 
strength failed me and I lay like the slain Go- 
liath, helplessly stretched upon the earth. I had 
often heard of buck-ague, but if that was my 
attack I am sure its effects were never fully de- 
scribed; for I felt as though a bucketful of blood 
jumped through my heart at a time, and every 
time my pulse beat I believe I jumped four 
inches from the sod. This was the first wild 
herd I had ever seen ; and having my firet expe- 
rience upon the open plain all by myself, with- 
out a tree to climb or a stump to hide behind in 
case of immersion, I must say somewhat terrified 
me; and while thinking of all the danger I might 
be in, they suddenly started off in a lope, as 
though scenting me, and certainly to my very 



THROUGH THE WEST. 81 

great relief. This was now my opportunity to 
try my band; and, running to the top of a little 
knoll, I took aim from my knee at an old bull 
that had stopped to look back, and pulled. I 
did not consider that I was firing a one-hundred- 
grain gun, and having my nose entirely too close 
it was some time before I was conscious of what 
had taken place. When the blood had stopped 
running and the smoke had cleared away, and I 
found that I had not shot myself, I looked up to 
see the last buffalo disappear behind the raise. 
Sheepishly I retired, amid the shouts from the 
boys; and though we had no success this time we 
knew that we were now in the buffalo region at 
last, and supposed ourselves more able to tackle 
the next gang, be it great or small. 

The water of which we just spoke we learned 
to be Bear Creek ; and a pretty ravine it was, 
too. The water stood in little pools like Butte 
Creek, and these were fed by springs. There 
were a great many cattle and rich pasture there, 
and old cow- camps w^ere to be seen all up and 
down the creek. Stopping here for several days, 
we enjoyed ourselves very much in the thick 
shade of the little trees through the heat of the 
day ; and though we saw no more buffalo, ante- 



82 ROMSPERT S TRAVELS 

lopes were numerous, and we had much sport 
shooting these sl)y creatures as they came down 
unconsciously from the phiin to quench their 
thirst from the pools among the mighty Bear 
Creek bluffs. Charles liad never shot an ante- 
lope ; and to describe the maneuvering of his first 
experience would fill a volume. One morning 
he came running into camp and said that a flock 
of antelopes were coming in to water just below, 
and grabbing a rifle he dashed aw^ay. I fol- 
lowed him closely, and when he crawled up be- 
hind a rock to shoot I was near him behind an- 
other and could see it all. Down came a big 
buck to the pool, and after looking slyly around 
began to drink. This was Charley's opportu- 
nity^; and after going through all the motions 
of a monkey in a show-pen, whang went the 
rifle, and down came the buck. " liight through 
the heart, by thunder! " said he, and throwing 
dow^n his rifle he dashed upon his prey. He 
had caught him through the loins; and though 
the buck struggled hard, Charley hung to him 
like a Dutch butcher, and at last cut off his 
w^ind. I made oft" for camp, and Charley never 
knew that I was near. Soon he came in whis- 
tling, with the buck across his back ; and though 



THROUGH THE WEST. 83 

it weighed at least one hundred and twenty-five 
pounds, he stood in camp full five minutes with 
the buck upon his back, expUiining how he did 
it. We all laughed a great deal at Charley's 
shooting antelope through the heart, and he 
often asked us how the devil we knew where he 
aimed. 

We at length grew eager for another trial at 
the kings of the prairie, and pulled out for the 
Cimaron River, where we expected to make a 
head-quarter camp and put in the winter hunt- 
ing over the South. We reached the river after 
a march of about thirty miles, and were now 
about seventy-five miles south of the A., T., & 
S. F. R. R., and all civilization. Skirting the 
banks of every water we had yet passed were 
little trees; but here there was not even a twio- 
the size of a finder. 

We had learned before to burn bufalo-chips, 
and as far as fuel was concerned we were all 
right; but the next question, and the most j;e?'- 
plexing, was how to make a house in which to 
store our supplies, and for our protection in win- 
ter, as well as a retreat from danger. Here lay the 
spade and there stuck the pick, but the only 
material we could see for a house was the dry 



84 romspert's travels 

earth. Dave was a carpenter, and we told him 
he should begin the frame. But he said he was 
not used to working in that kind of timber. 
We found a deep dry gulch leading to the river, 
and going to work we soon had a chamber dug 
in the bank, eighteen feet long and twelve feet 
wide, four feet deep on the lower side, and seven 
feet deep on the high side, with a narrow pass- 
way into the gulch. We then dug a fireplace in 
the high side, and worked from top and bottom 
until we finished the tiue. All was then com- 
pleted but the roof; and using our tent-poles for 
supporters, we stretched a couple of wagon- 
sheets from the high to the low side, and pegged 
them to the ground at each end. We had thus 
a tolerably safe retreat from the wind and sun; 
and moving all our things in there, we conclud- 
ed to wait for a few days and then go to Bear 
Creek for poles to put on a good roof. The 
weather being very fine, and not having seen a 
sprinkle for many days, we put the work off from 
time to time ; and one evening of the first week 
in our new abode, when least expecting it, we 
were much surprised to see the sky suddenly 
veil itself with dark clouds, and empty its 
flood upon us. I had read about the loindows of 



THROUGH THE WEST. 85 

heaven being opened, but, my God ! I thought 
the whole side of the house had fallen out upon 
this occasion. The floor of our house was 
sticky clay, and not having seen a sprinkle for 
so long, while our muslin roof carried oflf the 
dampness, we enjoyed the occasion very much. 
Soon, however, the ground began to soften, the 
pins to pull out, and the fun was then at an end. 
The water falling upon the loose canvas, it 
bagged down, and directly out came a peg, 
and splash came two or three buckets of 
water into our new house. Seeing that we 
might as well have no cover at all, we piled our 
things upon boxes and covered them with oil- 
cloth, and took it as it came. Our tent was rip- 
ped to pieces, and this was our only scheme. 
Soon the mud was ankle-deep all over our new 
floor, and the last smoke slowly curled from the 
few damp buftalo-chips that lay frying upon the 
hearth. Our condition about that time was not 
at all enviable; and we looked in every direction 
and contemplated every scheme. But we at 
last concluded that foxes have dry holes, and the 
birds of the air have sheltered nests ; but green- 
horn buffalo-hunters must stand in mud up to 
their knees and be baptized in a w^ay that God 



86 romspert's travels 

knows is not agreeable to anybody's belief. 
Charles and myself figured on the wagon, and 
throwing a lot of wolf-hides and our harness 
upon the ground, we crawled under the wagon 
upon them ; and wrapping ourselves in our wet 
blankets, we took the collars for pillows and 
tried to think ourselves comfortable. But the 
wind was blowing fiercely and the rain falling at 
an incredible rate. We were soon completely 
drenched ; and the water gurgled good, good, 
good, down through the horse-collars. The wa- 
ter was rushing in torrents down the hill -sides, 
and stood in sheets upon the level. We saw 
clearly that it was imnficrsion or get out of there, 
and we chose the latter. Our wits were then at 
an end, and we concluded that if we owned hell 
and that country, we would rent out the latter 
and live in the former. A chicken sitting out 
upon the naked limb of an apple-tree in a cold 
winter's storm is not to be compared to a boy 
standing in mud knee-deep, with water dashing 
about his ears like a water-wheel, and pouring 
from his nose like a house-spout, and not even a 
pin to hang himself up on. Dave was all the 
w^iile silent, and seated upon a box in the dug- 
out, wrapped in a blanket, and looking into the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 87 

fireplace as though comparing the place with hell, 
and rebel prisons^ and all other noted places in his 
dreams. John had learned some of the western 
dialect, and was seated upon the wagon, with a 
blanket over him, rehearsing what he had 
learned; and I thought from what little I knew 
of it he succeeded very well, and learned fast, 
and remembered first-rate. 

We, however, were living, though not in the 
best of humor, when about three o'clock in the 
morning it suddenly turned cold and began to 
sleet. ISTow if any painter can picture the scene 
of that camp, or any writer describe the condi- 
tion and feeling of that party who groped in 
the darkness of that cave on the banks of the 
Cimaron on that cold, dreary morn, he must 
have been there himself. Every blanket that we 
had, and every thread of clothing that wrapped 
our forms was wet and dripping. There was 
not a dry piece of fur; and we raced over the 
prairie and rubbed ourselves to keep the blood 
in circulation. I tell you the sharp wind that 
whistled by and roared among the hills soon 
aroused Dave from his slumbers, and he was the 
most frantic racer I ever saw. lie could run 
over a jack-rabbit in one hundred yards. When 



88 romspert's travels 

we were tired of running, with pick and spade 
we set to work digging in the earth at the 
mouth of the dug-out to keep warm and to 
lower it so as to drain out tlie water and mud. 
Morning came and we were still alive, but red- 
der noses than ours never roamed a Colorado 
dram-shop. Our horses, too, were covered with 
ice, and must have felt pretty uncomfortable. 
At length the sun slowlj- rolled from the horizon 
and sent his sparkling beams upon the dismal 
plain, and drew all animation to the eastern 
slopes. By great exercise we managed to dry 
our clothes upon us, and felt pretty comfort- 
able again. 

We had now escaped the cold, but the hunger 
part was yet to come. John and myself had had 
an experience of fourteen daj-s upon flap-jacks, 
and two days and a half without eating or drink- 
ing, and of course we did not figure quite as 
closely as Dace and Charles, who had been but a 
few weeks from the land of plenty and comfort, 
l^evertheless, we had to fast that day until to- 
ward evening, when we found some small rushes 
upon the banks of the river, which were dried in 
the sun. Placing some bones together, we built 

fire upon them with the rushes and kept it up 



THROUGH THE WEST. 89 

until the bones were heated. Then slicing 
some meat real fine, we put it in a thin sheet- 
iron skillet, and placing it upon the heated 
bones, and continually applying rushes, we were 
enabled to fry ourselves a little repast. This 
was a new scheme, and while delighted with our 
ingenuity we forgot that we had nothing but 
meat, and thought it the best meat we had eaten 
for many days. We were very glad to see the 
face of the plain once more dry, and determined 
to prepare for the next immersion. 

The next day Charles and myself started for 
Bear Creek for poles, and John and Dave stayed 
with the camp. We got to Bear Creek that day 
and cut the poles in the evening, and the next 
morning started back. About sunset we were 
at home; and the next day .ve placed the poles 
over the hole or cave, and after covering them 
v>ith rushes, applied a coat of dirt. Our house 
was then completed, and we were prepared for 
future contingencies. 

Here was the tender-foot outfit, our home a 
dark cave in the bluff of the Cimaron, seventy- 
five miles from the smallest settlement, and our 
only neiglibors the wild animals of the plain. 
Our long-hunted range was at last reached, and 



90 romspert's travels 

the buffalo could be seen upon the distant hill- 
sides, and their lowing could be distinctly heard. 
The gray wolf, of which we had heard so muchy 
was here too in such numbers as to be very bold; 
and their piercing howls, which would make the 
boldest inexperienced man shudder, could be 
lieard at night at our very door. 

Being now in the happy hunting-ground, we 
prepared fur a big hunt. We had the Sharpe 
rifle, — forty-flve caliber, one hundred grains, — 
and forty-tive caliber Colt, and Smith |* Wesson 
six-shooters. Having the best of fire-arms, and 
loads of ammunition, we felt ourselves a match 
for anything that chose a daylight battle; and 
now for the hunt. 

By having our camp so well concealed, the 
game at first came close around the dug-out, en- 
tirely unconscious of an enemy; but from the 
daily explosions in that ravine they soon learned 
to be shy, and appeared to regard the little hole 
in the ground as a dangerous place. 

We saw our first antelope in western Nebraska^ 
where they were so wild that the most expe- 
rienced hunter could scarcely ever succeed in 
killing one. They had become more and more 
numerous, however, until we were now in their 



THROUGH THE WEST. 91 

very homes, and little bands could be seen upon 
every h\V. This animal is some larger than a 
sheep, and is white-and-brown spotted. The 
bucks are the larger, and have horns about eight 
inches long. They are the most vigilant animal 
of the prairie; and in their most quiet state 
usually take one bite and two looks, and upon 
the least alarm start oft at such speed as to 
almost baffle the eye. We had exhausted our 
ingenuity and had many days' experience before 
we could successfully make our bullets tell in 
the vigilant herds. The following are some of 
the puccessful schemes : In cold, stormy weather 
they take shelter in the ravines and behind the 
bluffs, and of course can then be readily shot, in 
a rough country; but in ordinary weather they 
usually keep upon high places, so that you can 
scarcely ever get near enough to shoot them 
without being detected. In this case, take a 
horse and start oft' obliquely toward them ; be 
upon the leeward side, and never look directly 
at them. Keep sidling toward the flock, and 
going round, but be cautious that you never go 
directly toward them. In this way one can 
often get within shooting distance, which is fair 
at four hundred yards. If you have no horse^ 



:92 romspert's travels 

^o as closely as you can without being detected, 
iind then crawl, — always keeping the wind of 
them, as they will scare quicker at scent than at 
fiight. When they look toward you, do not 
move a finger, and look down ; but when they 
are not looking, crawl quickly. They usually be- 
come very curious, and come toward you, snuff- 
ing the air and stamping their feet. Then watch 
your chance; for w^hen they are once satisfied 
that you are an enem}^, and start to run, 3^ou 
might as well try to shoot the lightning's glare. 
A red flag is a very good thing to tie on your 
hat, and then get in some conspicuous place and 
lie still. It will not be long before they will 
come to see you. They are very sharp, and use 
great cunning in investigating the dangers that 
lurk in their vicinity. They can often be de- 
ceived by getting some one to drive a wagon ob- 
liquely toward them, and at some place near, 
where there is a little raise or bunch of weeds 
•or grass, jump off while the wagon is moving. 
Be careful that you are not detected. They w^ill 
watch the team very closely, and as the wagon 
circles to the other side of them and their backs 
are turned to you, you can often crawl upon 
them without being discovered. If they start 



THROUGH THE WEST. 9B 

to run, just throw a ball in the sand ahead of 
them. Several balls will often so excite them that 
they are as apt to run toward you as any other 
way. Always shoot behind the shoulder, if pos- 
sible ; for they are animals of such great spirit 
that anything but a mortal shot does not appear 
to disable them ; and I have heard of an ante- 
lope with three legs broken and both eyes shot 
out, outrunning a horse in a fair race. I shall 
not vouch for the truth of this, but there is more 
truth about it than any person who has never 
seen an antelope would be willing to believe. 
Any person who can hunt this animal with suc- 
cess is truly an ingenious sportsman. 

We took advantage of the buffaloes that came 
among the river-hills near our camp, and in a 
couple of days we had a load of meat, consisting 
of shoulder-clods, saddles, humps, and tongues ; 
and Dave and myself started north to the Ar- 
kansas Valley to sell out, while John and 
Charles stayed in camp. We made it to Bear 
Creek in one day, Butte Creek the next, and the 
third day about noon we came to the railroad. 
There were many emigrants going up the valley 
to the mountains, and to these and the settlers 
we had no trouble in disposing of our load at 



94 romspert's travels 

five cents per pouud. The load brought us just 
fifty dollars. 

We found it a little unhandy to have our grub 
and cooking outfit scattered promiscuously 
through the wagon, and I thought it would be 
nice and convenient to have a mess-box. So, 
the morning that we started back for camp we 
passed by a neat little adobe house, and we 
stopped to ask the man for his doors, to make a 
mess-box. There was no one about, so we took 
oil the only two doors and drove on. Dave, 
with all his Methodist Episcopal modesty, — 
which he had forgotten to leave at home, — said 
it was not right to take the doors ; but I told 
him that I was a member of the Colorado State 
Board of Equalization ; and a house without 
doors was still better than doors without a 
house. This was downright hunter's logic. 

We camped at Butte Creek for the night, and 
in the evening we worked up the doors. We 
made a cupboard three leet high, as wide as the 
wagon-bed, and fourteen inches deep ; and then 
boxed and shelved it to suit our needs, leaving a 
space to the right large enough for a fifty-pound 
sack of flour, and in the bottom of the cupboard 
a space for the bread-pan, oven, frying-pan, etc. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 95 

The rest was partitioned off in smaller spaces 
for pepper, salt, baking-powder, etc. Then, tak- 
ing out the end-gate, we set the cupboard in the 
back part of the wagon and passed the bed- rods 
through it, and it was fastened. We then made 
a door large enough to cover the face of the ciip^ 
board, and with the hinges that we had saved 
from the doors hinged it to the bottom of the 
wagon-bed ; and making a latch to the top of 
the cupboard, with a piece of calf-hide and a 
pin, the box was neatly finished. I then cut off 
a stick the height of the bottom of the wagon- 
bed, and wiring it to the door where it was 
latched, the thing was completed. The lid could 
be unlatched, and, coming down, it would rest 
upon the stake, and there was a table, and ev- 
erything in the mess-chest was clean and handy. 
This arrangement was so splendid that a broad 
grin came over Dave's face in sinte of his con- 
science. 

The next morning we arose and started for 
Bear Creek, reaching it just at sunset. Wish- 
ing to give our team as much range as possible 
without leaving them entirely free (and having 
no hobbles), we took a picket-rope about thirty 
feet long and tied one end around each horse's 



9G romspert's travels 

neck. We thought they would hardly stray far 
from camp; and after watching them for a 
while, and discovering that they never both 
took a notion to go the same way, we felt that 
they were secure, and after supper lay down 
for the night. The weather was warm, the 
evening was beautiful, and our sleep was sweet. 
At daylight I arose to look for the horses. I 
went among the hills and upon the highest 
bluffs, and peered in every direction ; but there 
was not a horse in sight. We tried to track 
them, but they had no shoes on, and their tracks 
could not be distinguished from those of the 
wild herds. After hunting among the hills and 
down the ravines until noon, we concluded that 
they must have gone back to the railroad to tell 
the fellow who took his doors. We had left the 
riding ponies at the camp upon the Cimaron, 
and we were now left afoot. We had turned 
them upon the north side of the creek, and not 
being able to find where they had crossed over 
to the south, our suspicion was strengthened; 
and taking a few biscuits in our pockets, with 
compass in hand, we struck northward across 
the thirty- mile stretch of dry plains for Butte 
Creek. We had nothing to carry water in, and 
a pint of brandy was all we took to drink. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 97 

The .afternoon was very warm, and the sand 
was burning hot. The brandy tasted like sugar- 
ivater, and was gone before we had traveled five 
miles. We became very dry when we were 
about midway; but the dwellings and shade 
trees were very scarce in that country, and we 
were compelled to stand it. One of my boots 
rubbed a great blister upon my heel, and I pull- 
ed the boot off and went barefooted. The foot 
soon became sore upon the scorching sand, and 
tearing a sleeve from my hunting-coat I tied it 
around my foot for a moccasin. All animals 
range along the water, feeding out from five to 
eight miles; and there were several miles of our 
journey upon which there was not an animal or 
insect, and the country was level as a floor. We 
sat down now and then to rest; but it was a 
rather uncoynfortable rest. We were compelled 
to walk very rapidly to reach water that night ; 
and as we rushed along, the bright sun and the 
heat that curled from the hot sand almost 
blinded us. 

Once, while we were sitting down, we saw 
something that looked like horses far to the 
north, and taking, our glass we fully convinced 
ourselves that we were right; for we could 

7 



98 romspert's travels 

plainly see tlierii walking along tied together. 
We kept our eyes upon them, and in two hun- 
dred yards we came upon two old buffalo bones^ 
which the mirage had loomed up into large 
objects. We then saw how mirage could de- 
ceive, especially when aided by imagination. 

The ivalk would have been nothing if we could 
have had water; but I tell you we were pretty 
well dried out when a little after sunset we came 
among the Bear Creek hills. A little stream 
came crystalling down from a spring away up in 
the bluff; and after drinking of its beautiful 
waters and taking a good wash, we looked 
around for the horses, knowing that if they had 
struck the creek they would not leave the water 
iov several hours at least. Anxious to intercept 
their further travel to the north, we went up 
and down the creek by the moonlight for several 
miles ; but no horses. 

We came upon an old picket cow-ranch among 
the hills, and concluded to stop there until 
miorning. We were met at the door by three or 
four skunks, which in spite cf our friendly salute 
opened a double-barrel fire upon us with their 
heads the other way. They were very obstinate, 
and we were compelled to kill them. AVe then 



THROUGH THE WEST. 99 

had control of the shanty, which smelled like a 
reservoir of cologne for the rest of the night. 
There was a little stone fireplace in one end of 
the house, and we built a tire to keep away the 
wolves and skunks. We had no blankets, but were 
doing very well, when about eleven o'clock the 
wind arose and it turned cold. We then needed 
a fire ; but the little trees were mostly green, and 
there was no loose loood, and we had no ax. 
There were two holes for windows and a bio^ 
place for a door, and these being open the cold 
wind went howling through our house like a 
breeze from the north pole. The house was 
made with poles put in the ground close to- 
gether, and we began at the door to tear out the 
posts for fuel. The wind blew colder and colder, 
and toward morning a light snow fell. There 
was very little of the Jiouse left when the morning 
dawned, and we could not help thinking of the 
man along the Arkansas who was living in the 
house that belonged to our doors. We had not 
seen any game, so a biscuit was our breakfast. 
We ieXt first-rate, but one of my feet being one 
blister from heel to toe, and the other terribly 
rubbed, a long walk was to me a little disagree- 
able; and I determined to patronize the first 
shoe-maker I crossed. 



100 romspert's travels 

The morning was very cool, and we thought 
it best for Dave to return to the wagon at Bear 
Creek, and I would go to the river ; and if our 
team had not come up there I was to buy anoth- 
er and return. I had torn the sleeves from my 
coat, and Dave had given me a large handker- 
chief. With these I wrapped my feet; but 
they were so terribly sore and swelled that I 
could scarcely stand. Dave dashed to the south 
with his compass in one hand and his rifle in 
the other, and I hobbled to the north. I broke 
myself two canes ; and after I got warmed up I 
flew rapidly along, and came into Granada at 
nine o'clock. I found out that day that our 
horses had not beeri seen; so in the evening I 
bought two good ponies, and in tlie morning 
started for Bear Creek. A little before sunset I 
came among the hills, and struck the creek a 
mile below the wagon. On my way up I came 
upon Dave in a deep ravine, roasting a piece of 
a deer he had killed. I brought a quart of pejy- 
per-sauce along down from Granada, and this, 
with a good square mess of roast venison, made 
us feel flrst-rate. We sat around the tire talk- 
ing and chatting and broiling venison most of 
the night ; and there was not much of the deer- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 101 

saddle left in the morning. We then hooked 
up our ponies ; and though they were a little 
wild^ we went prancing along for the Cimaron. 
We came into camp at sunset and found the 
bo} s we]l, but very uneasy lest we had lost our 
compass and become bewildered, or had been 
cut off by the Indians. We had exchanged 
teams, and had a great deal of promiscuous 
experience since we parted ; and this, with the 
story of the cupboard, furnished enough narra- 
tive with which to interest John and Charles 
the greater part of the night. Charles said it 
was all right to take the doors if there were no 
ready-made cupboard in the house ; otherwise, it 
was a sin (in Colorado). We spread our blank- 
ets and lay down late in the night, and slept 
sweetly. We arose at the dawning of the morn, 
and after a good mess of buffalo-meat, with nice 
warm biscuits, we went out in the soft morning 
air. As we stood upon the hill-side at the 
river's edge, the zephyrs fanned us like the 
breath of heaven ; and the sun, as it rolled from 
the eastern sky, appeared to us more majestic 
than ever before. Away down the valley we 
could see the buffaloes feeding upon the rich 
pasture ; and upon the brow of a hill to the 



102 



south were two large wolves, feasting upon an 
antelope they had just killed. In our native 
Ohio we had seen the buftalo behind the strong^ 
high fence, and the wolf in the iron cage ; but 
here they were with their wild neighbors in the 
garden of nature, ruminating in the free, open air. 
The scene was striking; and it was all natural; 
the hand of man had not figured there ; and 
though far from civilization, we felt happy, and 
the Cimaron waters appeared to smile upon us 
as they hurried by. 

"We spent a few days in exploring the sur- 
rounding country, and went far up and down 
the river acquainting ourselves with the hills and 
vallej^s. 

The hide season was now here, and being well 
prepared, we expected to take many a pelt, and 
have lots of sport. We had prepared ourselves 
with a great many little pegs, and with these 
we pinned to the ground, flesh side up, the 
hides that we gathered, until the hill-side in 
front of our door was pretty well covered. 
Every now and then we met a brother hunter 
upon the plains ; and with him we had many 
a pleasant chat, and learned the history of the 
country from the present back through many 



THROUGH THE WEST.* 103 

years. It is interesting to listen to the tales of 
the old hunters who roamed the wild prairie 
thirty years ago, and who have ever since neigh- 
bored with wild animals and savages, and 
reaped a livelihood from the western w^ilds. 
They say that many years ago, when they first 
came to the country, if a person were upon a 
slight elevation when the herd was passing by, 
the valley would be covered with buffaloes as far 
as the eye could reach, rendering the whole 
country a dark, moving mass, and compelling 
the Forty-niners en-route for California to stop 
over for whole days, until the herd crossed over. 
Though there were small herds of thirty and 
forty moving in all directions, the main herd 
moved in a body, and unlike cattle, kept closely 
together. Before the time of railroads through 
the West, they used to hunt all winter and dry 
the hides, and haul them east in the spring, mak- 
ing large profits. But when the Kansas Pacific, 
Union Pacific, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa 
Fe railroads w^ere built, the buffaloes were very 
plenty; and meat being in good demand, and 
having an outlet for the shipment of hides, great 
numbers of hunters swarmed the prairie, and the 
slaughter of the animal was wholesale. Good 



104 



robe hides then being worth four and five dol- 
lars, the animal, rich and delicious, and for 
which many a poor eastern family would be 
thankful, after being stripped of its winding- 
sheet, was left to decay in the sun or be de- 
voured by the howling wolves. They say they 
used to lie down upon the prairie and shoot; and 
the longer they shot, and the more they killed, 
the thicker they came around ; and they often 
found it necessary to get out of the way to keep 
themselves from being trampled into the earth. 
In this way they were slaughtered by thousands. 
The number became rapidly reduced, until to-day 
the main herd consists of but a few thousands, 
and small herds of twenty and thirty wander 
here and there, reclining upon the soft plain and 
nipping the rich grass from the hills that once 
echoed the bellowings of the innumerable herd. 
The great numbers spoken of somewhat startled 
us, and sounded more like a fable than a pleasant 
story ; but when we traveled over tlie plains and 
saw sometimes fifty and sixty skeletons almost 
on a Aeap, and whole acres almost covered with 
bones whitening in the sun, and sometimes being 
able to jump from one buflfalo-head to another 
lor several hundred yards (especially in the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 105 

Republican Yalley), we were persuaded to believe 
what we were told. 

Upon reflection, it seems a sin that these ani- 
mals were shot down in such great numbers only 
for the pelts, and so much of the best meat in 
the world left to waste in the sun or be devoured 
by the wild, carnivorous animals of the prairie; 
but the truth is, no cattle or sheep could be 
raised or any use made of the country so long as 
these mighty herds continued to trample it. The 
hunters say they used to start out in the morn- 
ing without a cent in their pockets, and at night 
they ^vould often have pelts enough, together 
with the meat they found sale for along the rail- 
road, to pay them seventy-five or one hundred 
dollars, which they w^ould gamble and drink 
away before morning, very often. "Ah ! " say 
they, " we have been here many years, and have 
spent many a fortune in the vile dens so numer- 
ous in the West; but the great herds have now 
almost faded away, and instead of having plen- 
ty, as we might have, we are now poor men, 
wandering over the plains for a living." 

It used to be very dangerous to be in the way 
when they were upon a stampede, for they were 
as irresistible as the ocean wave ; and it is said 



106 



that more than one outfit, horses and all, has 
been trod into the dust by the trampling 
thousands that made the valleys roar. But 
stampedes have for some years ceased to be very 
dangerous, and butialo-hunting has for some 
time been a science, and is practiced as follows : 
A person or company, with teams, saddle-ponies, 
ammunition, and provisions, go out to where 
the buffaloes range, and there make a head- 
quarter camp, — usually a dug-out, for timber is 
scarce, — and there uidoad. When the herd is 
killed and frightened away from camp, one or 
two stay in camp to watch over what is left 
there and the rest start out with wagons in the 
following order : The hunter has a big cartridge- 
rifle, — usually a one-hundred-grain Sharpe, or 
one hundred and twenty grains, which is called 
a big fifty, — fifty caliber. These guns weigh 
from twelve to eighteen pounds, and carry from 
a mile and a half to two miles. He also has a 
large belt, with loops to hold forty or fifty car- 
tridges, and a good knife. One man usually 
does the shooting for the outfit, though two 
sometimes go together. The skinner or skin- 
ners, with ammunition, beds, and provisions^ 
follow with the wagon or w^agons, and keep just 



THROUGH THE WEST. lOT 

in sight of the hunter. When he sees a herd 
he crawls and creeps until he is within shooting- 
distance, and lires down the leader. The herd 
will not fly without a leader; and until they 
have a new one selected he is again ready, and 
downs him.. Watching his chances, and being a 
good shot, in this way he sometimes succeeds in 
getting down fifty or sixty buiialoes. One man 
said he one time shot down one hundred and 
sixty in one stand. When the blood begins to 
flow freely the herd becomes very much excited ; 
and while horning the wounded ones and paw- 
ing in the blood, with tails lashing the air, and 
almost deafening you with their bellowing, it is 
enough to terrify an inexperienced hunter. And 
any person who has been there, I assure you, 
will make himself just as scarce as possible on 
such occasions ; for a Avounded buft'alo is very 
dangerous. When the herd leaves, — from the 
hunter ceasing to fire, or making a mis-shot, — 
the skinners come up and go to work, and the- 
hunter follows up the herd on foot and takes 
down one here and there, and tries for another 
stand, which depends very much upon his skill 
as a hunter. Sometimes this chase is kept up 
all day, and the hunter has no success until 



108 



about sundown, when they have become some- 
what used to the crack of the rifle, and being 
tired and hungry they slacken up; and while 
£ghting the wounded ones the hunter gets in a 
few good shots, and right there loads his wag- 
ons. When the wagons are well loaded they 
start for camp to unload the hides and stretch 
them out to dry. Several hundred hides being 
sometimes stretched out at one camp, it presents 
quite an attractive scene. When the hides are 
dry, they are put in piles of ten apiece, and 
staked and tied down. In the spring they are 
hauled to market. 

Sometimes the meat is jerked, which is done 
as follows : The hump, shoulder-clods, and sad- 
dles are the only parts used. This meat is cut 
in strips as thick as a man's wrist, and after be- 
ing seasoned is hung upon wooden racks in the 
sun, and a slow fire built under it to smoke ; and 
in about two days it is jerked. This meat can be 
taken to the mountains in the spring and sold 
readily for fifteen and twenty cents per pound. 
This is the way it is done; and when the herd 
changes its range, as it often does, you must then 
pull up and follow, and again locate; though 
you can hunt from one hundred to one hundred 
and fifty miles around one camp. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 10^ 

There is now another hunt; and that is the 
wolf-hunt. This is done with strychnine. When 
you first come into a country (before there are so 
many carcasses), just kill an antelope or buflalo, 
and while the meat is warm cut out several 
hundred baits, an inch square, perforate them 
and put in a little of the poison, and give the 
meat a little rubbing. :N'ow put the baits in a sack, 
and after tying one end of your picket-rope tJ 
the horn of your saddle and the other end round 
a large piece of the meat, start upon a six or 
eight mile circle around the carcass, dragging 
the fresh meat, and dropping a bait every one 
hundred yards. In some parts of the plains, es- 
pecially along little waters, the wolves and 
skunks are very numerous; and after sunset 
they can be heard howling in every direction 
and they hurry to the newly-spiJled blood! 
When they strike the circle where the meat has 
been dragged they will start around upon it, 
picking up the baits, and dropping at about the' 
second. In the morning the hunt^er mounts his 
pony and st^^ts round his circle, skinning the 
wolves and skunks, and often has a pony-load of 
pelts from wolves, skunks, badgers, swifts, etc. 
The wolf-hides are worth two dollars and fifty 



110 romspert's travels 

cents apiece, and the bounty is from fifty cents 
to five dollars a head — accordino^ to the county. 
Skunks are worth forty-five cents, and badger 
and swift hides are worth forty cents apiece. 
There is much to be made at this business; and 
being well prepared for the full catalogue of 
prairie sports, we cast our baits and shot our 
game. 

We had very comfortable quarters upon the 
Cimaron, and the game was also plenty here. 
The country upon either side of the river, for a 
half mile to the north and south, was very 
rough ; and in these deep gulches and pretty ra- 
vines many a bufi:alo, deer, and antelope breathed 
out his last. 

Just after twilight one night in December we 
were all in camp at head-quarters when a great 
light to the north attracted our attention. The 
Avhole northern sky suddenly turned red, and 
the heavens were lighted up as with the light- 
ning's glare. Brighter and brighter it grew 
until the sight was grand beyond all description. 
The very air began to turn warm, and the gale 
that blew from the north brought with it great 
clouds of smoke. At length the forked tongues 
of the flames began to dart up from behind the 



TIIROUOII THE WEST. 



Ill 



Bear Creek bluft's, thirty miles awa}-, and soon 
the whole country, as far as the eye could reach 




to the west and far to the east, was in a flame. 
The grass was thick and tolerably high, and the 



112 romspert's travels 

flames rolled over the level prairie like a tide 
upon the ocean and with mighty velocity. We" 
set fire to the grass upon the south side of the 
river, and with a roar it disappeared over the 
hills. We then rushed our teams and wagons 
across the stream upon the hurned space and 
watched the oncome. The thirty miles were 
skimmed in a short time, and buffaloes, deer, 
antelopes, and wolves came in a tumultuous 
throng, howling and bellowing, with the fire 
close in the rear. On came the conflagration, 
leaping, whizzing, and roaring like thunder; 
and it was a sight to see the animals plunge pre- 
cipitately into the stream. E"ow and then an 
old, shaggy wolf would be outrun by the flames, 
and wdien the hair began to singe such howling 
was never heard. The heat was so intense that 
but few animals got through the blaze alive, and 
they were left in the hot ashes, and came out 
pretty well singed and sore. The cattle of the 
vicinity ran frantic in every direction, and some 
were suffocated. Our rich, golden range was 
now blackened ; and there was no pasture in the 
surrounding country except the short, green 
grass in the valley. We were now^ compelled to 
follow the animals to the land of pasture. The 



THROUGH THE WEST. 113 

cow-men and hunters turned out, and the fire 
was extinguished in the sand-hills of New Mex- 
ico, but a few miles to the south of us. This 
was the first real prairie-fire we had yet seen, 
and it being at night added greatly to its 
splendor. 

It is a penitentiary oftense in that country to 
willfully fire the prairie, and the stock-men sel- 
dom make much court expense when the scoun- 
drel is found. Their proceedings are very sum- 
mary, and the prisoner is never again guilt}^ of 
the same offense — in this world. The Indians 
often do it to destroy the pasture in other quar- 
ters and drive the game to their grounds ; and 
for it many a red-skin has soared to the happy 
hunting-ground upon the wings of death. 

It is unlawful for white men to kill more 
meat in the Indian Territory than just what is 
needed for immediate use, under penalty of the 
confiscation of all they have. This is watch- 
ed over by the government authorities stationed 
there. However, the fire had not reached the 
territory, and there were great herds of buffaloes 
upon their rich pasture; and we cautiously made 
this part our range. 



114 romspert's travels 

Our first trip after the fire was to the east. So, 
fixing that cupboard in the wagon, and taking 
enough flour for biscuits for several days, w^e left 
Dave and John in camp, and Charles and myself 
wound down the green valley for the unburned 
regions. In about five miles we came upon past- 
ure, and camped for the night upon the river- 
bank, full twenty-five miles from head-quar- 
ters. This brought us about to the Kansas 
line. It was a beautiful night, and almost as 
light as da3\ The wolves were so numerous 
and bold that we were compelled to sleep by the 
fire, and about twelve o'clock they came into the 
very camp and tackled the big blood-hound that 
we always had with the wagon. Unfortunately 
for one of the trespassers, old Lee sunk his fanga 
into his neck and never loosed his hold until he 
was dead. The horses were frightened all night; 
and Charles said he expected we were just upon 

the spot where the whole d- n pack slept 

every night. We stripped ofi:' several pelts in 
the morning ; and when the sun was high we 
started north for the ten-mile arroyo of which 
we had heard old hunters speak. We had only 
gone a little way when we met an old bull com- 
ing quietly down a ravine toward the river ; and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 115 

after riding to the top of a hill and finding no 
herd to be near, I concluded to give him a chase. 
I got within a quarter of a mile of him, when he 
saw me and started back north. This was a sign 
of a herd ; and knowing that if he would reach 
it he would stampede the whole herd, I rode 
upon him with all the speed that my mustang 
could summon. He was a jperfect racer ; but in 
spite of his efforts I came alongside of him, and 
the second ball from my Smith & Wesson 
stretched him struggling upon the earth with a 
bullet through his lungs. When the wagon 
came up we skinned him and took the meat we 
wanted and drove on, expecting soon to come 
upon a herd. The breaks of Ten-Mile Creek began 
to ruffle the smooth surface, and we saw a small 
bunch of buffaloes feeding in a gulch. We came 
into a narrow, deep ravine, and through this we 
drove the team, cautiously circling to the north. 
I crawled to the top of the ravine among the 
high grass, and there, not more than three hun- 
dred yards from me, was a herd of at least two 
thousand, some ruminating, and some feeding 
upon a high table-land about half a mile in di- 
ameter, and which was nearl}^ surrounded by the 
deep ravine we were in. It was now near suU' 



116 



doiD7i, and after carefully circling the herd, we 
camped upon the west and to the leeward of 
them. After carefully fastening the horses, and 
commanding Lee to stay with the wagon, we 
crawled up among the grass for action. They 
were just two hundred yards ofl' and we were 
ready, and the battle opened with the roar of 
two one- hundred-grain guns. My animal came 
to its knees with a broken shoulder, and 
Charley's dropped in its tracks without a strug- 
gle. After a few rounds we had the blood 
started freely, and the cracking of the rifles was 
drowned in the mighty bellowing. We crept up 
closer and closer, until Charles darted behind 
the bull that he had first shot, intending to use 
him for a rest. We were fifty yards apart, and 
at the first shot that Charles took from his new 
fort, he was surprised to see the bull spring to 
his feet and make fight. His gun was empty 
and the bull was loaded ; and seeing his chances 
in this unequal combat, he grabbed the bull by 
the tail and held on for dear life. They flew 
around the circle at the rate of ninety revolu- 
tions per minute ; the bull bellowing and froth- 
ing, and Charles fljnng around with his bare 
head, calling out to me to shoot the bull. It was 



THROUGH THE WEST. 117 

SO darned /w 71712/ to see a buffalo and a man waltz 
together that I could not do anything for laugh- 
ing. I knew very well that the hind end of a 
buffalo was not dangerous, and I was just as sure 
that Charley would never let go of the tail. So I 
stood there for several minutes enjoying the 
circus. Charles drew out his big knife and tried 
to strike him in the heart; but he was at the 
wrong end for that, and his gouging only made 
the bull the more furious. At length Charley 
began to swing his partner a little slower, and 
having worked down into the ravine, the bull 
spied the wagon and made toward it with great 
fury. Charles called out for Lee, and with a 
dash and a snap he had his teeth firmly fastened 
in the nose of the bull. Charles was now re- 
lieved ; and quickly thrusting a cartridge into 
his gun he lay the bull bleeding upon the 
ground. All this time I had been rolling upon 
the grass laughing; and at this moment I heard a 
bellow and a loud snort, and looking around I 
saw a wounded buffalo within a few jumps of 
me. The tail was the other ivay, and knowing 
my chances to be few, I grabbed my rifle, and 
resting upon my knee, I let him come so close 
that I could see his eyes bat, — knowing the 



118 



ROMSPERT S TRAVELS 



skull to be very thick, — and fired. The ball 
pierced the mighty skull, and the blood spurted 
as he plunged forward dead. I looked out from 
behind the hill to see if Charley was preparing 
to shoot me when I came in ; and when I saw 
him sitting upon the wagon fanning himself with 
his hat, I ventured up. He commenced on me 
in the Colorado dialect ; but he was puffing and 
hlowiiig, and having the advantage of him I did 
the talking to suit myself. I told him I thought 
any person who had the power to raise the dead 
ought to be able to kill it again ; and besides, he 
slung the bull around so darned fast that I could 
not shoot with safety. 

Well, the darkness began to thicken all over 
the country, and we concluded not to shoot any 
more that night. We found an old icell in the 
ravine, and dug it several feet deeper, but found 
no water. From what we had heard hunters 
say, we expected to find icater here, and had 
brought none along, so that ours that night was 
a dry camp. We skinned and cut up four of the 
bufialoes that night, and taking some of the 
fresh meat we heated it up a little in the frying- 
pan, leaving the juice in it; and a supper of this 
did very well, so we retired for the nicrht. The 



THROUGH THE WEST. 119 

wolves were howling in every direction, and 
hurrying to the fresh blood ; and the snorting 
and bellowing of the buffaloes could be heard 
away in the night. Up to twelve o'clock there 
was not a cloud in the sky ; but at that time a 
purple veil was drawn across the heavens almost 
as quick as thought, and the wind began to blow 
cold. We had a good heel, and placing: two of 
our green hides upon the ground flesh sides to- 
gether, we built upon them, and in spite of the 
cold kept comfortable. 

Toward morning the gale increased, and at 
daylight we were in the midst of a blizzard. 
This is a heavy gale in which sharp ice, as tine as 
salt, falls so thickly that yon can not see two 
feet ahead ; and it is not safe to leave camp 
twenty steps without a rope around the waist. 
We were in a deep ravine; and having tied the 
horses to the wagon the}' were somewhat shel- 
tered ; then throwing a robe over the dog, we lay 
quietly in our snug bed. The tempest raged and 
roared over the plain all that day, and the snow 
fell, more or less, continually. Twilight began 
to gather, .and the storm was still howling. We 
had nothing to eat that day, but we had 
quenched our thirst with snow and felt very 



120 romspert's travels 

well. Morning came, and it was yet too cold to 
live; and the blizzard had renewed its fury. We 
had brought a little corn along, to feed in ainnch; 
but this was a bigger pinch than we had bar- 
gained foi\ and our horses began to look pretty 
hollow. About noon the snow ceased falling; 
but the wind was as cold as ice and past all en- 
durance. At sundown we crawled from our re- 
treat, and found the snow a foot in depth over 
all the prairie. We shoveled it away from the 
side of a ledge, and trimming down a few hack- 
berry bushes that grew upon the side of a bluff, 
we started a fire. They were green, and burned 
YQvy poorly ; but the buffalo-chips were all cov- 
ered, and it was the best we had. Our meat was 
like stone; and for supper we chopped it off with 
the ax. We did not fry it much, but it was 
good any how. We also melted a little snoio for 
the horses, and after giving them the la3t corn 
we had, we crept into bed. 

In the morning the wind had lulled and a 
thick fog hung like night over the face of the 
plain. We could not see each other fifty yards 
away. We thought it necessarj^, under the cir- 
cumstances, to make for head-quarters, and leave 
to the wolves the six buffaloes that we had not 
skinned, and which were now like stones. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 121 

Having broken our compass in bed, and the 
two buttes in southern Colorado — which guide 
the hunters and herders of the country — being 
hidden in the mist, we were left with our un- 
aided ability to steer our way. We took the 
Indian way of ranging objects on ahead ; but the 
snow w^as deep and the objects few, and about 
nine o^ clock we came across the track of an outfit 
which, from the number of horse-tracks and the 
dog^s trail, we knew to be our owm. Well, we 
followed it back, and soon came into the old 
camp and stopped for the night. 

In the morning it was clear, and the sun shone 
out brightly; and the reflection almost blinded 
us as we went along. The team was very lank, 
and worried slowly through the snow. About 
noon we came into the Cimaron valley, and 
after Avatering, plodded on without unhitching. 
At sundown we saw smoke coming from the 
hill-side away up the valley, but in spite of our 
efforts it was dark when w^e came in. There 
were plenty of provisions and lots of fuel, and 
we had a social that night. It took Charles a 
long time to relate his experience with the buf- 
falo, and the boys plagued him a great deal 
about trying to kill a bull with its own tail. 



122 



The next morning the sun again arose in a 
cloudless sky and darted his warm rays upon the 
face of the snow-covered plain, and the white 
veil soon melted away. It took the horses sev- 
eral days to recruit, and the short, green grass 
in the valley filled them out slowly. We pegged 
our green hides in the sun to dry; and having a 
load of saddles, humps, and tongues, we pre- 
pared to take a trip to the Arkansas. 

One pretty morning John and myself started 
with the load, and left Dave and Charles in 
camp. We stopped at Bear Creek for the night ; 
and directly after striking camp we had our at- 
tention attracted to a singular-looking object 
upon the side of the bluff away down the creek. 
We took out the glass, and it looked like a roll 
of buffalo-hides. After supper we picketed the 
horses, and taking our rifles, we strolled down 
the creek to investigate the curious object. 
Coming up to it we found it to be a bufiixlo-hide 
rolled up ; and peeping in at one end we saw a 
man. The hide was taken from an old bull, and 
was almost an inch thick; and being frozen, it 
was as much as we could do to cut him from his 
narrow prison-walls. lie was a middle-aged man, 
and was almost exhausted; but we lOok him to 



THROUGH THE WEST. 12^ 

the fire and gave him to eat, and then heard hiar 
story. He said he was a cow-man from Texas,. 
and had been to Granada and was returning 
when he was ingulfed in a furious blizzard a few 
miles north of Bear Creek. He said he had but 
two blankets, and having no matches, he knew 
he must perish ; and happening to see a stray 
hull among the hills, he rode on to him and shot 
him, and concluded to take the hide to ivra'p 
himself in. His horse broke loose while he was 
skinning the bull, and he was left alone; so, 
spreading the hide upon the ground, fur side 
down, he spread the two blankets upon it, and 
then lay himself upon them and rolled up tight- 
ly. The green hide /roze, and he was as securely 
incased as tbou2:h he were w^ithin a steel boiler. 
He had been there jive days; and being be- 
hind the blutf the sun had not reached and soft- 
ened the hide. He said he had kept comfortahUy 
with the exception of his feet, and with them he- 
had suffered a great deal. Upon investigation, 
they were both found to he frozen; and we took 
him to Las Animas to the doctor, who ampu- 
tated them both at the instep. He often said 
that a man without toes was better than no man,, 
that he surelywould have perished had he not 



124 romspert's travels 

captured the buiialo, and that, if we had not 
found him, a few days later the hide would 
have been his grave. 

We found ready sale for our meat, and were 
soon steering again for the Cimaron. We came 
across several outfits, each of which had been 
more or less frozen in the late blizzard. Some 
had lost fingers, and others toes ; and we heard 
of one ivhole outfit of three men, north of the Ar- 
kansas, freezing to death. We were not in the 
least injured, and we congratulated ourselves 
upon our being prepared with a good bed. 

We came in sight of camp about sundown^ 
and riding ahead and seeing no one about the 
camp, I concluded to try the boys; so, riding 
up over the hill, I came down upon the dug-out 
with a ivhooj), and fired several shots from my 
six-shooter as I circled to the east, and lying flat 
upon the pony I shot down a ravine just in front 
of the dug-out, my back being all that could be 
seen. Whiz ! went a bullet just over my back- 
bone; and I was satisfied that the boys were not 
asleep, and that they could shoot pretty well too. 
So I dismounted at a place in the gulch where 
my horse was hidden, and taking a Avhite hand- 
kerchief I raised it to view to try the boys ; but 



THROUGH THE WEST. 125 

white flag or no white flag, the two old black 
gun-barrels lay up alongside of the cave door, 
and there was no such thing sls a flag of truce 
taking them down. I was a hundred yards oft', 
and I swear I was afraid to put up my head to 
make myself known. At length they saw the 
team coming, and knowing my disposition, they 
then mistrusted that it was me in the ravine. 
When I was sure that the boys knew who I was, 
I mounted my poney and rode into camp. The 
boys acknowledged that I had completely deceived 
them, and that they took me for an Indian rid- 
ing down there to draw them out, and then a 
whole band would fire upon them from every 
hill. Dave said he had done his finest to hit me 
on the wing, but he could see nothing but my 
hack, and that went down the ravine as swift as a 
cork over the cataract of Niagara, and he sup- 
posed he shot wild. I told him that he did very 
well, and I would not like him to do better upon 
like occasions. Charley said he would like to 
have cut a suspender oft' anyhow, just to give me 
some caution. 

We hunted for many miles around, including 
north-eastern Kew Mexico and the "pan-handle" 
of Texas. We had the hill-side covered with 



126 bomspert's travels 

hides for some distance; and game becoming 
scarce, we concluded to pile up our hides and 
load up our outfit and start for other quarters. 
We followed the Cimaron down into Kansas; 
and just before we went into the territory we 
came on to a large herd of buffaloes, and killed 
'enough to load our wagon w^ith hides, leaving 
the rich, delicious meat to the wolves. We fol- 
lowed the river into the territory, and one even- 
in o- a government officer with three men came 
out from Salt Springs to our camp; for w^e had 
been reported killing buffaloes in the territory. 
The officer rode up insultingly, and without any 
questions began to abuse us and call us trespass- 
ers and thieves, and said he had a great mind 
to upset the wagon and burn every hide we had. 
We told him we had not killed the buffaloes in 
t\iQ territory , But he continued his abuse; and 
thinking it about our time to talk, and being four 
egainst four, we told him we had enough talk 
now, and we wanted to see him burn the hides. 
We were well prepared; and seeing his position, 
he rode off with his men — I suppose partially 
convinced that a star upon the breast of an 
abusive scoundrel does not enable him to ride 
over honest men. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 127 

It was now getting late in the season, and we 
concluded to haul our hides to market and travel 
over the south during the summer. We left the 
outfit at the dug-out, and two stayed with it and 
the other two hauled hides. We took up two 
full loads, and had as many more as we could 
haul with the outfit the third trip. We shipped 
them to Kansas City and sold them well, and 
struck a rich dividend. We camped up and down 
the Arkansas, fishing and occasionally shooting a 
deer among the brush along the river, and spend- 
ing some time moving in the refined society of 
the valley, and now and then staying a little late 
conversing with the cultured daughters of the 
ranchmen. We spent many pleasant days and 
evenings thus ; and after trimming up the outfit 
carefully, and laying in a good supply of ammu- 
nition and such eatables as we supposed would 
be needed on our trip, we were ready to start 
again for southern sights. 



128 romspert's travels 



CHAPTER lY. 

Summer Trip Through the South— Indian Agencies— Cana- 
dian River — Lion Fight — Red River— Double Mountain — 
Staked Plains— Pecos River— Indian Skirmish— Santa Fe, 
New Mexico — Return to the Arkansas Valley — Description 
of the Plains — Mirage — Dangers of the Prairie— Wild 
Horses and How Caj^tured — Creasing Animals. 

When the April sun ot 1878 was high in the 
heavens, we bid farewell to our valley friends 
and wound merrily down the river. The green 
grass had begun to show itself, and the valley 
was lovely ; and the little birds sported and sung 
in the bashes and little trees along the river- 
banks. As the houses became more and more 
numerous, we began to realize that we were go- 
ing east to where somebody lived. Following the 
river on down, we passed through the Cree/j and 
Cherokee agencies, and also the Chocktaw country, 
and were very much interested in our Indian ob- 
servations. The Cherokees are far advanced in 
civilization, and are by far the most intelligent 
tribe. 

They have school-houses^ and churches, and 
pretty villages; and some have carpet upon 



THROUGH THE WEST. 129 

their floors. They appear to enjoy their new 
mode of living, and take pride in their pretty 
homes. I may also state that there are some 
very 'pretty girls among them. All the agency 
lands that we passed through were the best that 
the sun ever warmed. Though Uncle Sam 
reaches forth his bountiful hand whenever the 
weakest red man asks, most of the tribes appear 
restless ; and though there is much game in the 
territory, and notwithstanding that they are let 
out of the agency once a year to hunt over the 
wide wild country, their eyes are restless, their 
faces itch for the war-paint, and they long to 
sally forth beneath the white- eagle plume, to 
ring the valleys with their wild war-whoop, and 
wash the hatchet in the white man's blood. The 
farming implements furnished them are left to 
rust, and they indolently exist upon the nation's 
bounty. 

Every Indian nation in the United States to- 
day, who will receive them, have beautiful reser- 
vations, which are the yqyj gardens of the Union; 
and their every want is most bounteously sup- 
plied. The only tribes that are to-day suffering 
are those who will not receive from the hand of 
plenty. But In spite of all this, there are some 

9 



130 romspert's travels 

of the tribes breaking from their agencies every 
few months and committing their bloody out- 
rages, which boil a human's Wood; and the 
clemency of the Government is exhibited by its 
capturing the murderers and placing them back 
upon their homes, giving them new blankets 
and rifles, and telling them not to do so again, — 
sometimes giving them a trials but rarely giving 
them the deserved 2:)enalty, Persons seated in 
their comfortable mayisions in the land from 
whence savagedom has long since been driven, 
and where the protecting arm of civilization is 
thrown around them, are prone to speak of the 
'poor Indian eking out a miserable livelihood 
from the western deserts and barren mountains, 
and continually persecuted and provoked by the 
cruel lohite man^ only w^aiting for an opportunity 
to kill them oft. Oh, fie! Go see what /have 
seen, and learn the truth, and your sympathies 
will be banished by hitter scorn. Go see the poor 
emigrant, who has taken his little family to a 
new home in the sundown land, shot down at 
his labor and scalped in the furrow, his dear 
wife and innocent babes crushed ivith the hatchet, 
their blood spilled upon the cabin floor, and 
their brains spattered against the wall. Go ex- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 



131 



perience realities, and have your all and dearest 
on earth torn from you, and hear their heart- 




rending cries as they are carried off by savage 
demons, and see how the red devils can mock 



132 romspert's travels 

mercy Sind torture helpless innocence; and if the 
lire within your bosom does not kindle and you 
do not say that the devils have it only too goody 
there must be little soul within. God knows 
that /would be the last to mention violence; but 
I have seen decency outraged and sweet infancy 
tortured, and have witnessed so many sickening 
sights that my blood boils whenever I think of 
them and my right arm twitches for vengeance. 
The first tribe that starts a war should be made 
an example of, and the last wretch laid low ; then 
outbreaks would be fewer. As it is, there i& 
continually trouble all along fne frontier, and no 
man is safe. If the Government would only 
empower a company of cow-hoys and hunters to 
pursue them when out on the war-path, there 
would be less damage and severer reprimands ; 
but until the soldiers capture them, with their 
blue ribbon and military maneuvers, the devils 
have done all the mischief they want to do and 
are ready to surrender. 

The Indians all a2')j)ear friendly ; but a chance 
is all. that is wanted to place your scalp bleeding 
upon a pole while they sing their bloody songs 
around it. It is their nature. 

"And as long as his skin is rough and red, 
His cruel heart is the devil's bed." 



THROUGH THE WEST. 133 

We followed the river to its j auction with the 
Canadian. This is a most splendid country. 
Here God again does the raining, and no irriga- 
tion is needed. The agencies are the same. We 
then concluded to go up the Canadian to the 
west. It was not long, however, until we had 
left the rich farming country and were again 
upon the dry, sandy wilderness. The country 
for some distance upon either side of the river 
is intensely rough, rocky, barren, and sandy. 
Great herds of cattle range along the river and 
up and down all its tributaries. As we went to 
the west trees grew few and scrubby and dwarf- 
bushes grew among the rocks and bluffs, and 
little streams of clear water came tumbling 
down over the rocks from the springs away un- 
der the barren hills. We often thought of the 
mountains as we wound along, and we thought 
we must be near the jumping-off' place. We 
killed several deer and antelopes among the hills, 
and saw some strange-looking tracks in the sand 
at the water. 

Early one pretty morning, as we were stroll- 
ing up the ravines in search of game, I noticed 
Charles stop suddenly, and dropping behind a 
rock he beckoned me to him. He pointed up 



134 romspert's travels 

the river to where some bushes were shaking; 
and crawling closer, by the aid of our glass we 
found it to be a large lion feasting upon the car- 
cass of a deer. We crept away, and after gath- 
ering the other boys we held a council and de- 
termined to tackle him, let come what would. 
"We cautiously crept along under rocks and 
brush until we were within one hundred and 
fifty yards of him, when he spied us, and utter- 
ing a loud roar, crouched low upon his prey. 
Now was our time ; so, resting my rifle upon a 
rock, I deliberately fired. He was almost hidden 
in the brush, and I struck him in the shoulder. 
He uttered a terrible roar, and bounded toward 
us with his shattered blade. We had shrunk 
from the lion behind the bars; but, my Lord, 
here we were in the same cage with him, and no 
chance to shrink. I tell you, a lion can jump 
like thunder with three legs; and he came direct- 
ly at me. The boys were flanked upon either 
side, and they were to reserve their loads until 
he was near enough to be sure. I waited until 
I could see his eyes bat, and he was about to 
make his last spring, and then pulled ; but, great 
God ! the cartridge failed. I dodged behind a 
large rock, and as he sprung dowm over my 



THROUGH THE WEST. 135 

head, with his powerful paws extended and his 
great claws protruding like ba3^onets, his low 
growl sounded like the voice of hell ; and 
though things looked a little cloudy^ I never 
conceded for one momejit that I was ever created 
for lion-meat. The blood-hound sprung forward 
and sunk his huge teeth into his hind leg; but 
he was no more to the infuriated animal than a 
gad-fly would be to a buffalo, and before I could 
shove a new cartridge home he was again 
crouched to spring, when the boys rushed for- 
ward, and, with the muzzles of their rifles so 
close that the hair was singed, sent three well- 
directed balls grinding through his body. The 
shots all went near the heart, and he never arose 
from the earth, but rolled over upon his side, 
and with a low, gurgling groan, trembled and 
died. It was sport, all through; but I enjoyed 
this stage of the proceedings better than any 
other. As he lay there, with his nine feet of 
power stretched upon the sand so closely to me 
that I could feel his dying-breath and touch his 
shaggy mane, I felt happy that he was dead. 
He was nine feet in length, and was the most 
powerful lion we had ever seen. Some of his 
teeth were two inches long ; and after looking 



136 romspert's travels 

carefully at the huge mouth and powerful jaws, 
I concluded that I was at one time nearer being 
lion-meat than I had before believed. The 
blood-hound stood proudly by, wagging his tail 
as though waiting for the praise for killing him. 
Poor fool ! He was not as much as a gray-back 
in the folds of the shirt of a professional tramp. 
I felt very glad that I did not tackle the animal 
alone. We carefully examined every cartridge 
we had. Charles said if I could have caught 
the tail I might have gone to thunder and 
fought my own battle, like he did with the buf- 
falo. We looked carefully around that day, ex- 
pecting to find the mate; but we saw no more, 
and the next morning journeyed on. 

When we were about the center of the terri- 
tory we struck south for the Red Hiver, which 
bounds the territory on the south. We struck 
the Washita River, Wild Horse Creek, and 
many other small streams, finding many cattle 
along every water, and game in all directions.- 
Great herds of bnfi:aloes were daily seen heading 
to the north. There being plenty of good water 
all along the route from the Canadian to the Red 
River, the journey was a pleasant one. The 
country of the Red River was rough as the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 137 

Canadian, and was good for naught but raising 
stock. We left the Red River and went down 
the Big Washita ; and then on to the Brazos, 
and down its head-waters to the Double Mount- 
ain, Texas, which we had been told was the 
range of the main buffalo-herd of the south. 
The story was certainly correct, for they were 
here by the thousands ; and not being nearly so 
wild as where Ave had hunted, it was no more to 
shoot a buffalo here than to kill a cow. The 
country was rough, and destitute of all bat short 
grass ; and though there were cattle here, they 
were not nearly so numerous as at other places 
where we had been. There was a little ranch 
now and then stuck in among the rocks — and one 
man stays in each ; but they carry their lives in 
a holy pocket every day and night. They have 
become somewhat reconciled to this hermit-life, 
and do not give the danger its full weight. 
This is about as loild a country as lies within the 
borders of our Union; and if a person had the 
material, and were prepared, he could make 
crooked whisky here without molestation by the 
authorities. 

We were now prepared to cross the staked 
plains, which had been reported to us as a 



138 romspert's travels 

broad, dry, and barren country ; that it required 
several days' journey to cross, upon Avhich many 
persons had perished, and where, several years 
ago, a whole company of soldiers had been led 
by the Indians whom they were pursuing, and 
there became bewildered and died in this water- 
less region. We filled our barrel and three 
skins with water from a cool, crystal spring that 
bubbled from beneath a rock and headed the 
Colorado River, and steered due west for the 
Eio Pecos in New Mexico. The first night out 
we camped upon a dry, barren plain, level as a 
floor, and almost destitute of grass, all anima- 
tion having disappeared. We traveled beneath 
the burning sun; and resting at night upon the 
broad couch of nature, we breathed the light, 
warm air. It was all the same in any direction, 
with no object to obstruct the vision, and not 
one cloud to dim the splendor of the setting sun. 
On the eve of the third day out our attention 
was attracted to some white objects upon the 
prairie ahead, and which, upon coming up, we 
found to be the skeletons of four men bleaching 
in the sun. The thirsty reptile had doubtless 
strangled them ; and as we stood gazing upon 
the whitened forms, we thought of the agonies 



THROUGH THE WEST. 139 

of that last hour. They must have lain there 
for some years, for there was not even a vestige 
of else but the bones. They had undoubtedly 
cast away everything to hurry on ; and when 
the weakest fainted, the others in their delirium 
sunk by his side, all determined to soar upon the 
same wings to the land beyond, where the crys- 
tal fountains are flowing freely. 

The weather being so warm and the air so 
dry, our horses required much ivater; and though 
we could somewhat gauge ourselves, we were 
compelled to give them what they wanted. We 
were just as saving, however, as we dared be, 
and upon the morning of the fifth day out we 
tapped the last skin and the last water. This 
was just like mother's bread. When the flour is 
all gone and the horses have the epizooty so 
that no one can go to the mill, and the boys once 
find out the /ad5 in the case, the last loaf is sat- 
urated with honey, and every one can make a 
meal upon bread and coffee. We stretched this 
out until noon on the sixth day, when there was 
but one gallon left, and that almost warm 
enough to cook eggs. Morning dawned, and 
the sun rolling from the horizon in all its 
grandeur had to us little attraction. Things be- 



140 romspert's travels 

gaii to look badly. Six days upon a plain level 
as a floor and dry as the internal regions, and 
not an object yet in sight, I tell you is a bad re- 
port. We had long been out of corn; and the 
grass being so scarce our horses were pretty well 
gaunted, and now no water. How long would 
they hold out? Just before we hooked up I 
took the field-glass and from the wagon survey- 
•ed the surroundings. Looking carefully to the 
west I saw broken country. Oh, joy! And when 
I spoke the boys shouted aloud. We knew that 
we were now safe, and we would sleep that 
night by the purple stream. The hills were a 
great way off, and if the horses could have 
known, as we did, that just ahead gargled the 
life-giving stream, we would have spanned the 
journey in half the time. However, when with- 
in about a mile of the hills they appeared to 
smell water, and pointing their ears they sped 
hastily along. But in spite of our eagerness we 
•came among the hills by the moonbeam's misty 
light. There v/as the stream, rippling clear and 
-cool; and it is needless to say that was to us 
a merry night. We sat up all night talking 
of the dangers of the country, and contrasting 
the might of the roaring lion with the power of 
the quiet monster, thirst. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 141 

111 the morning we took our rifles and started 
among the hills to get some meat for breakfast. 
We were not out long before Dave's rifle rung 
out sharply in the still morning air. Going 
to him, we found him with a large buck deer; 
and we had a splendid venison roast for break- 
fast. The country was very rough, and hung 
upon the edge of the plain like a great ruffle, and 
to the west tossing higher and higher. There 
were a few buffaloes here also. We stayed in 
this camp several days, living upon the best 
of meat, and recruiting our horses upon the 
rich grass of the valley. There were also a 
few cattle straggling along the river; and they 
were wilder than the buffaloes. We at length 
moved up the river and came among some 
dwarf timber; and to sit in the shade of these 
little trees was more pleasant to us than any other 
period of our lives. The wolves were very nit- 
merous here; and we were compelled to sleep by 
the fire every night to keep our clothes from be- 
ing torn by these foul-mouthed creatures, who 
would howl within the very limits of our camp, 
and terrify our horses so that we had to tie them 
to trees with double ropes. 

It is somewhat amusing to see them capture 
their game— sometimes taking down a large buf- 



142 romspert's travels 

falo bull or even a wild horse. If the game is 
in a flock or herd, they cautiously surround it, 
and gradually round them up to close quarters. 
If they are antelope or deer, as they break 
through the guard several are usually captured ; 
but if they are buflaloes, they watch for a calf to 
come to the outside of the bunch, and pop ! they 
have him. Sometimes as many as tw^enty wolves 
surround a herd ; and to see with what cuteness 
and tact they execute their work^is interesting 
in the extreme. When they are very hungry 
they will tackle most any animal. They sport 
carelessly around until he is off his guard, and 
then dash upon him ; and while some run at the 
head, the main aim is to cut the ham-string. I 
have seen large bulls disabled in this way and at 
the entire mercy of a pack of hungry wolves, 
who sometimes tear their satisfaction from the 
living animal and leave him struggling in his 
agonies. Their teeth are sharp and their jaws 
are like vices ; and they sometimes snap a large 
piece out of an animal, and then let him run 
away. 

I^ew Mexico is noted for its j^oisonous reptiles 
and insects, such as rattlesnakes, scorpions, centi- 
pedes, tarantulas, etc., and finding them creeping 



THROUGH THE WEST. 143 

upon most every hill-side, we were compelled to 
be very careful lest we should tramp, sit, or lie 
upon some destructive stinger. 

We had two beds, and John and myself slept 
together. One lovely moonlight night, after we 
had all retired, and my mind was resting upon 
the border of slumber, I was startled by John 
uttering a war-whoop and leaving the bed in a 
single leap. Being about half asleep, and think- 
ing that perhaps the devil was under the cover, 
I did not take time to rise, but started to roll; 
and being near the bank of a little stream that 
emptied into the river, I never stopped rolling 
until I splashed into the water. I was then 
thoroughly awakened, and felt as though I was 
not afraid of the devil if he were there. The rest 
of the boys came to the rescue with their colors 
flying, and pulling otf the covers we found two 
large rattlesnakes on John's side of the bed. 
They were swelled w^ith rage and rattled fu- 
riously. We had never known them to crawl 
into a bed. After killing them, we moved the 
bed and found a hole in the ground under it. 
We then concluded that they were out when we 
lay down, and in trying to find the way back 
they got into the bed; and John hearing the 



144 romspert's travels 

rattle left the bed just as the reptile was ready 
to strike. We were always careful after that 
never to build upon another's homestead. 

The centipede is a brown-colored worm of 
about the thickness of a lead-pencil, and three 
inches in length wYiQufull grown. It has a great 
number of legs, and at the end of each a little 
black needle which is worked in and out at 
pleasure like a cat's claw. These are the stings, 
and whenever the worm is crossed it sinks them. 
The venom from the rattlesnake is not to be 
compared with its eftect. When they are found 
upon the body, the only safe way is to be jperfectly 
motionless, and not disturb them, and they will 
often crawl harmlessly away ; but should the 
person move or excite them, they will sink their 
deadly claws and run across the person rapidly, 
and beyond all remedy the flesh will rot to the 
bone in a short time. I once saw the effect of a 
sting. We were one sunny day sitting with 
some greasers upon the shady side of an adobe 
house near Santa Fe, when a large centipede 
dropped from the roof of the house down upon 
the naked breast of one of them. He struck at 
it and tried to knock it ofl' quickly as possible ; 
but in spite of his efforts it ran clear across his 



THROUGH THE WEST. 145 

body, and in a few hours Le died with his body 
terribly swelled. They are regarded the most 
deadly of all animals or insects in the West; and 
for the beneRt of my readers who may sometime 
journey in their land, I would advise and pray 
that should one of these stingers get upon 
your body, be careful to not disturb it, for the 
danger is utter ruin. 

The tarantula is a very large spider, with 
large, strong legs, and can jump four or five feet. 
It hitzs instead of stings; and though its bite 
is not deadly like the centipede's, it is neverthe- 
less very painful, and swells the parts fearfully, 
sometimes resulting in death. They are a peace- 
ful insect ; but when tormented they become very 
angry, and will jump at their enemy in great 
fury. These two insects are very numerous in 
i^ew Mexico, and it is very dangerous to sleep 
on the ground; and citizens are all the time 
cautions. 

While speaking of poisonous animals and in- 
sects, I might also mention that the skunk out 
here is also very dangerous. They will come to 
your hed at night and bite you; and the bite 
has never been known to fail to produce hydro- 
phobia. It is a question much discussed whether 

10 



146 romspert's travels 

it is the effect of the general skuok-bite, or 
whetlier there are just certain ones which are 
themselves afflicted with hydrophobia. The gen- 
eral opinion is, however, that any skunk's bite 
will produce the effect. The subject acts just 
as though bitten by a mad-clog, and it is said 
that there is no remedy wheu once bitteu. I saw 
a mau by the name of Jones, in Texas, die in 
the most horrible agony from a skunk-bite he 
had received away up in ^N'ebraska eighteen 
months before. These skunks are in appearance 
like our eastern skunks; but whether they are 
equally poisonous I do not know. The cow-boys 
are always on the alert for skunks. 

We moved on up the river; and one evening 
as I rode down a deep ravine a half mile north 
of camp I discovered smoke arising out of 
a deep gulch just belov/. I recognized it as 
an Indian fire. I tied my pony to a bush in a 
deep hollow and cautiously crawled down upon 
the camp. I got within about three hundred 
yards of them, and peeping out from behind a 
bluff I saw four Indians, who, from their dress, 
I recognized to be Kiaioas, from the pan-handle • 
country. Two were smoking their pipes, and 
the other two wore broiling meat upon a stick 



THROUGH THE WEST. 147 

before a little fire ; and just below them were 
twelve good ponies grazing in the ravine. 
Knowing the Kiawas to be horse-thieves, and 
finding them here under such suspicious cireum- 
stances, I concluded that they had been out steal- 
ing and were just returning with their booty. 
Creeping cautiously away, I got my pony and 
rode off to camp; and after informing the boys 
of what I had seen, we concluded to rescue the 
ponies from their red captors. So, just after 
twilight we moved quietly upon the camp — John 
and myself upon ponies, and Dave and Charles 
on foot. When we were Avithin a hundred 
yards of the camp and^ unnoticed, we halted and 
took a careful survey of the ground. A cool 
wind had sprung up that evening, and by a 
bright little fire lay the- four bodies in blankets, 
while fifty yards below grazed the twelve hob- 
bled ponies in the bright moonlight. Their 
front feet were tied closely together with ropes, 
and they were compelled to step very short. 
Our plans were formed as follows: We would 
open upon them with four rifle shots; and while 
the footmen kept up the fire, the horsemen were 
to leave with them their rifles, and with six- 
shooters in hand dash between the camp and 



148 romspert's travels 

the ponies, and with wild whoops run off the 
horses. Whang! went the rifles, and away we 
flew toward the camp. Two of the Indians did 
not appear to wake up; hut the other two 
sprung from the lire Hke vnld deer, Wq ran 
upon the herd shouting and yelling, and the 
hoys keeping a hrisk fire all the while. The 
horses were so frightened that they jumped 
with hoth front feet together, and moved oli' 
down the ravine prettv rapidly. After running 
them about a half mile we ceased our noise, and 
the ponies slackened. Then we rode among them 
and dismounted to cut the hobbles, knowing the 
necessity of taking all or run the risk of being 
overtaken. It was to be quick work, for the 
two Indians wdio woke up were sure to come for 
the horses as quickly as possible. We had cut 
the hobbles of eleven, and had them roped to- 
gether; but one pretty dark horse had run off 
down a gulch. John held the captives and I 
ran off to ^et the other. He was pretty wild, 
and I followed him about a quarter of a mile 
before I could get to him. At length he became 
quiet, and going up to him I cut the hobbles, and 
had just fastened it on his head when an Indian 
rushed from behind the bluff' at my very side. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 149 

Seeing me alone, I suppose he took me to be liis 
comrade; and running up muttering something 
in the Kiawa tongue, he sprung upon the pony's 
back. This was my opportunity, and seizing 
my six-shooter I struck him a furious blow in 
the face ; and as he fell to the ground I mounted 
and rode off for John. I do not suppose the 
horse was ever backed before; and instead of go- 
ing tovjard John, he went in the other direction 
full bent. I had a rope through his mouth ; but 
finding him unmanageable, and not having time 
to break colts, I succeeded in checking him; and 
springing to the ground I shot him through the 
body and cut off his artery, and ran off on foot. 
As I went up the ravine I saw a person coming 
down, and springing to one side I crouched be- 
hind a rock. As he went by I saw it was the 
Indian with his rifle in his hand. He passed 
within six feet of me; but I only wanted the 
ponies, and did not want to kill an Indian unless 
it was absolutely necessary for my own safety. 
After he had passed I ran on. I soon met Dave 
and Charles, who having heard the shot, sup- 
posed that I was in trouble and were coming to 
my assistance. We all went back to where I 
left John, but he was gone; and going on, we 



150 romspert's travels 

found him in camp, with the horses. We then 
moved out, and never halted until the sun was 
darting his hright rays upon us. We had been 
moving as rapidly and quietly as possible; but 
knowing that we would be trailed, we kept a 
mounted guard among the hills upon either side 
of the wagon, to keep from being surprised by 
the enemy, who might head us off. 

The next evening we came to a trading- post 
called Alamo, on the Pecos bank; and about 
eight o'clock, as we were seated upon a bench 
in the post, four cow-boys rode up, and dis- 
mounting, walked in to the bar, with the bells 
jingling upon their spurs and their six-shooters 
dangling at their sides. They set their broad 
hats back upon their heads, and one big fellow, 
with his shirt open and his breast naked, called 
us all up and we drank together. They were 
not satisfied until we had taken several rounds; 
and though the drinks were two bits apiece, they 
were as free as though they were but three cents. 
Knowing that it would not do to refuse to drink 
with cow-boys, when they ask, we drank with 
them, but touched it lightly. We talked and 
laughed together as though we were old friends; 
and at length they said they were out on a horse- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 151 

hunt. They said that a few days before, as they 
were, camped upon Salt Lake, fifty miles to the 
west, some Kiawa Indians had dashed into their 
camp, and, killing the cook, ran off twelve good 
ponies. They described them and told the brand, 
and we were sure that we had the horses. We 
told them of our capture, and they recognized 
the ponies at sight. We told them that we had 
left two thieves sleeping by a little fire in a ra- 
vine fifty miles below, and had killed one stub- 
born pony. They said what we had done was 
well done; but it must be finished. They said 
they had been bothered a great deal with these 
Kiawa and Comanche devils, who constantly 
hung upon their range, shooting down every 
lone cow-boy and running off every horse they 
could get, and they had made up their minds to 
give them some of their own medicine. The 
next morning they rode off, bright and early, 
swearing that if they could be found the other 
two would be sleeping by the fire that night. 
They insisted upon our going along; but it was 
not our mission to kill Indians, and we refused. 
We were satisfied that if the story had been 
rightly told, our work had been rightly done ; 
and we moved oil up the river. 



152 



The country was very rough; but we kept 
along the river, and in a few days were in Santa 
Fe, the capital of New Mexico, and the terminus 
of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. 
The town is located among the hills, and stage- 
roads are worn deep in several directions. The 
old, abandoned Santa Fe trail, which Ave had 
crossed so many times in our hunts, wound like 
a serpent down the hill-side into the town. It 
had been some time since we had seen frame 
Jioiises, and they appeared to us as grand as 
Roman cathedrals ; and for several days we en- 
joyed the novelty of civilization very much. 
There were large stock-yards here, and many 
thousand head are annual!}^ shipped from this 
place. Stock-raising and mining are all that 
can be done among these hills and bluifs. 

We now steered due north and came into the 
valley of the Rio Grande del Norte. We found 
great herds of cattle here, feeding over this 
pretty, rich range; and there were many little 
ranches upon the banks of the river. 

We then struck north-east, passing by the 
Fishery Peak and going up the Purgatory River 
to the Arkansas. We felt as though we were at 
home when we stood upon the green bank of 



THROUGH THE WEST. 153 

this river; and the settlers — especially the girls 
— with whom we had become acquainted prior 
to our going south, were apparently glad to see 
us back, and welcomed us to their little adobe 
homes and rustic hospitalities. 

It was now late in the month of September, 
and we concluded to go into some kind of busi- 
ness and stay in the valley that winter. We 
had now gone over a great territory of prairie ; 
and the brief history of our travels has perhaps 
given the reader a fiiint idea of the nature of the 
country and the occupations of the people. But 
the whole country, — the climate, the inhabitants, 
and their occupations, — is so different from the 
states — as called by western men — that it is diffi- 
cult, even with the most yninate descrijotion, to 
conceive of the great country of the plains as it 
really is without visiting this curious land. 

We have stated that we left the agricultural 
land in east IsTebraska and Kansas, and that then 
before us stretched the historical plains — the 
fountain of mysteries and the land of secrets. 
Imagine a great country, consisting of many 
states and territories, and containing millions of 
acres, with not even the smallest tree or bush, 
but covered with biiffcdo- grass, which grows 



154 



EOMSPERT S TRAVELS 



about six inclies high and then curls up, 
forming a mattress about three inches thick. 
Through tliis mighty dry domain course the 
rivers as marked upon the map. The banks are 
usually — though not always — skirted with a 
light growth of cotton-wood trees; and the val- 
leys are narrow, and fringed upon either side by 
great bluffs whose foot-hills usually roll some 
distance into the plain. ;N"ow^, between these 
rivers there is very often a stretch ot several 
hundred miles, and sometimes not a drop of 
water; but usually there is water to be found in 
drives of fifty and one hundred miles — some- 
times closer and sometimes much farther. These 
little waters are very seldom running streams, 
but are small pools standing in deep gulches, 
and sometimes a little lake resting in a small 
bowl at the foot of a bluff. The country is al- 
ways rough where there is water ; and old plain- 
ers can always tell when they are near it. The 
gulches that have water standing in them, like 
the rivers, usually have small trees also. ^N'ow, 
between these waters the plain is generally almost 
as level as a floor; and standing there, the hori- 
zon looks perfectly round. Along the wHiters the 
grass is thick and luxuriant, but gradually grows 



THROUGH THE WEST. 155 

shorter as you leave ; and the long, dry stretches 
are often very lightly covered. As you travel 
along over the level plains it appears as though 
there is a raise just ahead all the time; and 
where it looks level as a floor there are often 
great gulches which can not be seen until com- 
ing almost upon their very banks. Sometimes 
you will come into several miles of very soft 
sand, with hardly a spire of grass upon it. 
E'ow, persons who understand this country know 
just where the waters lie, and prepare for the 
trip ; and very often where another person 
would perish they could find water in«ii few hun- 
dred yards under a rock at the foot of a hill. 

There is much mirage upon the plains, and it 
is much worse some days than others. It looks 
as though there were a pretty, rolling river, or 
sometimes a large lake, but a mile or so off. 
Nothing \^ plainer ; and the imitation is so com- 
plete that old plainers are sometimes deceived in 
a country they do not know. It is caused from 
an unequal refraction of the lower stratums of 
the atmosphere ; and when animals are in it 
they are loomed up to twice their natural height. 
An antelope is often taken for a buffalo, and 
sometimes a bone or a buffalo-cliip looks like an 



loo romspert's travels 

animal. Objects often appear inverted. To a 
tender-foot the deception is often so complete 
that many a poor, perishing person, in whose 
eyes were fast gathering the shades of death, 
exhansted his last efforts in trying to reach the 
imaginary river, and his last breaths were drawn 
in the belief that he was dying within sight of 
the cool, flowing waters. I had read many stir- 
ring stories of this country, and had often heard 
of the strange peculiarities to be witnessed and 
experienced here; but, though my imaginings 
were extensive, I had never indulged in delusion 
sufficient to think of the country in anything 
near its reality. Ah ! many a skeleton lies 
bleaching upon the hill-side, with no tomb-stone 
to tell its name or age nor any one to tell the 
secret of his death. I have often thouo^ht that 
if the Angel of Death w^ould read to the world 
his i^rrn'rfe record some of the accounts would 
fiwell the heart of the most calloused desperado 
and Avring a tear from the wickedest eye. 

The legends of the plains are numerous, and 
persons who have never been here would natu- 
rally consider them fabulous, and the most gross 
exaggerations ; but I know now, from experience, 
that the worst is reasonable. From the country 



THROUGH THE WEST. 157 

being all alike, and no objects to guide the way, 
— no, not even a weed, or the smallest bush, or 
distinguishable hill or valley, — when persona 
once lose their way they are as completely lost 
as though they were as blind as a granite monu- 
ment fifty miles from living man. It is some- 
what singular, but it is a fact many times verified,, 
that usually when persons lose their way in this 
country their minds wander, and they do not 
even recognize their own camps when they come 
in sight of them. It appears that the average 
person is so horrijied at the thought of being lost 
and alone in a broad wild country, w^here the 
wild beast growls among the hills, and where 
the dry sands reflect perishment into their very 
eyes, and no one to direct their course, that the 
effect is natural. 

A story is told of an outfit crossing over a dry 
prairie in the pan-handle country. The first 
night ont from water a young man who had 
lately come from the states went out among the 
hills with his rifle to look for deer. He did not 
know the danger, and unconsciously wandered a 
mile awa3\ When the sun was getting low he 
turned for camp. It appeared to him as plainly 
as the hills before him, that to turn back was to 



158 romspert's travels 

go toward camp. So, turning to bis left, he took 
down a ravine, still looking for game, and sure 
that he was near camp. On he went, and the 
sun sunk low in the horizon. Soon darkness 
veiled the day, and he was still out, and had 
walked many miles. He drew out his compass ; 
but he did not know whether he was north, 
south, east, or west from camp, and thrilled with 
the thought of his probable condition, he became 
completely bewildered and walked rapidly all 
night. The camp was in a deej) ravine, and the 
boys supposing their tender-foot companion to 
be ^05^, went to the top of a hill and built a 
large fire with buffalo-chips, and fired their guns 
and loudly hallooed; but all to no purpose. In 
the morning search was made. The country was 
sandy and lightly covered with grass, and he 
could be trailed. Two of the boys, well mounted, 
started in pursuit. They followed to the east 
about a mile, and then winding to the south 
tibout a mile and a half he made a complete cir- 
cle of about two miles, and went around three 
times almost in the same tracks, and then 
started off zigzag to the west. About noon an 
object was seen seated upon the side of a hill in 
the distance, and hurrying up the lost John was 



THROUGH THE WEST. 159 

found. He had become completely deranged, 
and had torn every vestige of clothing from his 
body, and was holding the compass in his hand. 
He was so completely bewildered that he did not 
even recognize his own comrades, and it was sev- 
eral hours before his mind regained its equilib- 
rium and he fully comprehended his position. 
He then said that it seemed as though camp 
must be near and could be readily found; but 
when he once became convinced that he was 
lost, he became so completely bewildered that 
the compass was no more use to him than a box 
without a needle. He said the hills and valleys 
all looked alike, and there w^as not a bush, or 
weed, or anything whatever to mark his course, 
much less a neighbor to direct the loay. 

This is only one of hundreds of cases ; and I 
have heard of persons horribly mutilating them- 
selves in their mad agonies. The facts given are 
perfectly credible, for I have felt their force by 
experience. I recollect that one warm spring 
morning in south Colorado, the fog hung over 
the prairie like the mist upon the ocean, and a 
horse could be distinguished but a few hundred 
yards. I had stayed all night with some cow- 
boys on Bear Creek, and saddling my pony I 



160 romspert's travels 

started out among the bl lifts to steer my way over 
the plain to our camp upou tlie Cimaruu, thirty 
miles below. I had no compass with me, but I 
had crossed the country so often that I thouglit 
it would be no trouble, even in the midst of the 
mighty fog, to grope my way. I had scarcely 
left the cotton-wood tops in the mist when I 
came to another creek. This seemed very 
strange, for I only knew of one creek m the 
country ; but not willing to believe that I was 
again crossing Bear Creek, I kept pushing on. 
I saw some men camped in a ravine just below, 
and saw their horses grazing among the hills ; 
but I thought they must be hunters, and the 
creek must be one that I had not seen. I went 
on until I had crossed six creeks; and I made up 
my mind that there was something wrong, and 
that I must be circling my own camp on Bear 
Creek. I had lost the location of the boys I saw 
awhile ago, and I rode down to the stream, and 
to save my life I could not tell which way the 
water ran. I dismounted and set my rille on the 
ground, and before my left foot was removed 
from the stirrup the pony became frightened and 
dashed away. Losing my grip upon the horn 
I was jerked down, and the horse started off 



THROUGH THE WEST. 161 

kicking down the creek. He dragged me about 
fifty yards, and I began to think it did not make 
much difierence which way the water ran, when 
I succeeded in getting a square kick at the stir- 
rup with my right foot, and luckily out it came. 
The pony, now free, ran off down the creek. 
After following him about three miles, I came 
into the camp of an old hunter (Barney Go we), 
whom I had not met for some months. My pony 
stopped with his horses and was easily captured. 
I then asked Barney where I loas, and he 
thought I was codding him; but becoming con- 
vinced of my situation he laughed heartily and 
told me to stay for dinner and the world would 
turn right side up again after awhile. It was 
full two hours before all was rights and all at 
once the whole valley appeared natural. There 
were the little stone monuments upon the bluffs 
above to guide the hunter and cow-men, and 
which had directed me many a time. The little 
trees, whose very limbs I now recognized, looked 
as of old, and the little stream, as it rippled 
along, seemed to laugh at the strange conduct of 
its old friend. I was three miles below where I 
stayed all night; and I had been rounding my 
own camp four or five times, and did jiot recog- 
11 



162 romspert's travels 

nize it nor the boys. They said they saw me going 
around and did not know what I meant. The 
next morning tlie fog had cleared away and the 
trip was made without difficulty. I only men- 
tion these facts to more fally picture in the im- 
agination of the reader the country with its at- 
tending circumstances and peculiarities as it 
really is, and to warn those who read these lines 
that should they ever become bewildered and 
lost in this desert land to be calm, keep possession 
of their mind, and sit down until the country 
turns around again. 

After explaining the nature of the country, 
the reader can now perhaps better understand 
the sports and occupations as they are hereinafter 
explained. There are often car-loads of mustang 
ponies shipped to the states ; and people wonder 
how they are captured — some supposing that 
they are caught with the lasso. I can say that 
there Sivefew wild horses caught with the lariat, 
and they are only captured by the hunter hiding 
himself at the water and catching them as they 
come down to drink, or by taking advantage of 
the ground and making an angling run upon the 
herd and cutting them Off. Blooded horses have 
been brought to this country for this sport, and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 163 

it has been found that the fleetest horse can sel- 
dom succeed in bringing his rider to the side of a 
fully grown mustang. These animals are found 
in several of the western states and territories, 
along the waters of the wild lands. There are 
usually between twenty and fl.fty in a herd, but I 
have known one hundred to be in a single herd. 
Each herd- has a distinct range, usually about 
ten miles across, and which they can seldom be 
forced to leave. There are some very fine-look- 
ing animals in these wild gangs, and as they 
dash over the range their manes waive back 
over their rumps, and their tails spread grace- 
fully after them. I saw a Mexican capture a 
fine iron-gray stallion that (perhaps in scratch- 
ing his head) had caught his hind foot in his 
long entangled mane. 

I:^ow they are caiotured as follows: Of course, 
in each range there is loater, and usually — as I 
bave already said — where there is water there is 
some small timber; but should there be none 
upon the range of the herd you wish to capture, 
go some place else and get it, and after picking 
out a good location somewhere upon the range, 
build up a high, strong corral large enough to 
hold the herd you wish to capture. Leave au 



164 



entrance at one side, and run a lane from the 
entrance divergingly into the prairie, until the 
lane is about one hundred yards wide at the 
mouth. Now for the chase. Get four horses^ 
well shod, and put two to a light wagon, and 
put in feed and provisions for several days; and 
get a man to drive. Have two good riding- 
ponies, and tie one behind the wagon and mount 
the other. ]^ow start after the herd in a walk^ 
and let the ivagon follow just in sight of you. 
Of course, the first day the mustatigs will burn 
the prairie, and you will not be in sight of them 
half the time; but just keep on, and never break 
the ivalk. The wagon, of course, will not travel 
nearly as far as you do, for, as the herd circles, 
the driver can cut across. Choose a moonlight 
season, and at first go all night, keeping them 
excited so that they neither eat nor drink. The 
second day you can keep in sight all day; but 
they become very much excited at seeing them- 
selves pursued, and will run frantic here and 
there, and by cutting across you need not go half 
their distance. You can get to the wagon to 
change ponies and get a bite when you wish. Go 
this way, night and day, for about three days^ 
when they will become hungry and weak, and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 165 

you can get close. You can now sleep at night 
and chase during the day. If any of the range 
has been burned over, or the ground is other- 
wise rough, their feet become sore and they can 
be captured sooner ; but usually about the tenth 
day you can ride up to the herd and drive them 
along. When this is the case, take a ichi]) and 
force them along until they are so worried that 
you can ride among them and handle them any 
way. Xow drive them to the corral and fasten 
them in. E'ow rope them together closely with 
strong ropes, and drive them to the railroad for 
shipment or to the ranch to break /or use. While 
they are iveak they are easily broken. Large 
herds are often captured in this way ; and there 
are men who, every spring when the grass is 
short and the ponies are poor, make this a busi- 
ness, and from it realize large profits. 

There are many fine, large, branded horses, 
which have escaped from the hunters, cow-men^ 
emigrants, and the Government, now running 
with the wild herds, and, of course, belong to 
whoever captures them. When there are several 
large mules ov fine horses in a bunch, it tickles the 
hunter mightily; and not having forgotten their 
former lives, they render the herd easier to be 
caught, and are not much trouble to re- break. 



166 



!N'ow this is the way the herds are captured ; 
but of course there are captures made now and 
then in different ways. The hunter sometimes 
conceals himself near the water where the herd 
comes down to drink, and, watching his oppor- 
tunity, creases his animal; that is, he shoots him 
through the neck about an inch from the top 
and just in front of the shoulders. This will 
stun the animal so that he will fall and not re- 
cover for some minutes, in which time you can 
bind him fast. This is, though, scientific work, 
and none but a fine shot need undertake it ; for a 
little too high does no good, and the least too low 
does too much good entirely. 

Now, there yet remains to be explained the 
stock business, which is so extensively carried on 
in this country, and to which nearly the wdiole 
prairie country is so peculiarly adapted. Were 
I to tell to persons who had never been here of 
the millions of cattle and sheep that are past- 
ured here, and of the thousands that are annu- 
ally shipped to the states, it would be incredibly 
received. As before said, the prairie is covered 
with buffalo-grass, which is next to mountain 
hunch-grass, which is said to be the strongest 
grass in the world. It usually grows thickly and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 167 

about six inches long, and curls up — though of 
course this depends upon the range. It usually 
rains and snows some in the lointer and sirring 
seasons, but during the sunwier season it never 
sprinkles; and you can be just as sure of it as 
of the wrath to come. I have often thought 
that this would be a line place to make hay. 
The snows and rains dampen the earth, and in 
the spring, when the grass springs forth and the 
prairie world is wrapped in its green mantle, 
there is no part of the earth more beautiful. 
About the first of May the grass is usually 
groivn ujj, and it stays green until about August^ 
when — except in the valleys — it all dries up in 
the hot sun and dry air, and cattle eat it hke 
hay. It is then the strongest. And stock-men 
hate to see the fall rains come ; for they say it 
takes the strength out of the grass. 



168 romspert's travels 



CHAPTER Y. 

Cattle-Business Explained — Branding Stock — Round-Up — 
Mavorick — Beef- Gathering — Stampedes — Tender-Feet — 
Stoek-Raising in Texas— Cattle-Trail — Baying Cattle from 
Trail — How to Enter Stock Business — Sheep-Raising — 
Greasers— Texas Cattle-Fever. 

The country has now perhaps been sufficiently 
described; and though I have doubtless been a 
little tiresome in minutice, I hope at least to have 
succeeded in giving my readers a good idea of 
the great prairie-lcmd, and can now perhaps suc- 
cessfully explain the subject of stock-raising 
which is so extensively carried on there, and a 
business that leads in occidental occupations. 
It has already been said that the rivers and 
streams and little lakes that dampen the sands 
of this great wilderness are nearly all watering- 
places for the herds that range along their banks. 
It now yet remains to explain how the business 
is conducted, as any person can see the positive 
necessity of some system where the country is so 
large and unfenced, and where there are so many 
owners and such great herds. Sometimes a herd 



THROUGH THE WEST. 169 

is owned by one individual, but usually there are 
comimnies; and often one firm owns forty and 
fifty tliousand cattle. It would of course be im- 
possible to stable or feed these vast numbers, and 
they are left upon the prairie the year round, 
and never even get salt. They usually keep in 
pretty good o?Y/e?' during the winter; but when 
much snow falls and the grass is covered for 
some time, and the weather is very cold, thou- 
sands of them die. Poor and weak, they stand 
upon the railroad-track and are knocij:ed off in 
great numbers. Of course these winters are ilu- 
iisual ; and the profits are so large that a few 
cattle dying now and then is but a momentary 
break in the financial stream. 

^ow, each firm has a home ranch, and this is 
built by some pure, cool wateit, and nearly as 
practicable to a railroad or good trail. This con- 
sists of a substantial and commodious ranch, — 
usually built of stone or adobe, — also a good store- 
house in which to store feed and provisions, — 
which are bought at wholesale and then given 
out to the men as needed, a good stable, — and a 
large, strong corral. Hay is then cut from the 
sloughs, and quantities of it stacked in the 
corral for the stock that is kept stabled. Though 



170 romspert's travels 

often in wild places, these home ranches are 
usually pretty places, and stock-men often have 
their families here with them. They have good, 
stylish bnggies and carriages, and riding and 
driving horses; and every pleasant morning and 
and evening the women and children go out to 
ride. They have a good track around the ranch 
over the level plain; and while it is altogether 
delightful to ride through the pure air of this 
healthy clime, the glitter of the splendid vehicle 
in the morning sun attracts very little attention 
from the neighbors. The girls can ride like ran- 
gers; and to see them dashing over the prairie, 
the pony fall into a prairie-dog hole and send 
the fair one somersaulting over the head upon 
the sand, is as funny a sight as one could wish. 
Each firm has its*own brand, and has it recorded 
in the county of the home ranch. This brand is 
a piece of iron, wrought into the shape wished. 
There is also a peculiar ear-mark accompanying 
each brand. The branding-irons have long iron 
handles with which to use them. They are 
made red-hot and then held against the animal 
until burned sore, and often until the hide is 
burned through. Of course the hair never grows 
out here again, and it is a perpetual mark. The 



THROUGH THE WEST. 171 

home ranch is located upon some good, rich 
pasture-range, and by a good water. Thus, 
many cattle can be pastured in the vicinity of the 
ranch ; but when the herd is large it is divided 
up and driven to sometimes several other ranges 
that are not yet taken up — each firm having 
its particular ranges, which it holds against all 
others, except homesteaders or buyers. Upon 
each sub-range there is built one or more little 
picket-ranches, with good corrals in which to 
brand cattle. In each of these little houses 
stays a cow-boy to watch over the cattle and see 
that they are not killed or driven off by Indians, 
Mexicans, or hunters. The cattle usually stay 
"upon the range very well during summer; but 
when winter comes, and storms set in they 
are drifted many miles, and scattered over many 
ranges. Cattle drift from the Platte country, 
Nebraska, all the way down to the pan-handle 
country every winter. When the winter winds 
are severe, great numbers drift to ranges where 
the country is very broken, or where there is tim- 
ber; and they often become so thick that it is 
necessary to drive part of them to other ranges 
to keep them from starving. This is part of the 
cow boys' work. 



172 



Every spring each firm has about as many 
other brands upon its range as of its own ; and 
after a long, stormy season one brand is distrib- 
uted along the waters of several states or territo- 
ries. In order that each firm may know how it 
stands, and to brand the calves and gather up 
such as are fit for market, each spring the com- 
missioners of each county appoint a captain for 
the round-u}) or rodere. The counties here are 
very large. There is a place and day set for the 
meeting, and all the cattle-men of the county are 
informed. The time of meeting is about the last 
of April; but the time varies according to the 
grass and the strength of the cattle. Some 
springs the grass comes on early, and some 
•quite late. Each firm sends men to this round- 
up in proportion to its herd — usually four or five 
to each county where it is expected that there 
are cattle — sometimes more, and often but one. 
Each boy has from four to eight horses; and 
when there are two or more from a company 
they have a wagon along. The beds, feed, pro- 
visions, ropes, branding-irons, etc., are hauled 
in it ; and the driver of this wagon does the 
cooking for the boys of that firm. Where there 
is but one, he usually makes arrangements to go 
with some other firm. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 173^ 

The average cow-boy saddle weighs forty 
pounds, and so77ie weigh sixty-five pounds. They 
are made with large, strong horns, and the back 
of the seat is very high. The skirt is leather^ 
and comes back over the pony's hips. Upon 
either side of the saddle there is firmly fastened 
two large, strong rings, and to each a strong 
strap, two feet long, and one inch and a half 
wide. The girths (sinches) are about three 
feet long, with a strong ring in each end. These 
sinches are generally made of hair, twisted 
into ropes, and about ten ropes to a sinch, mak- 
ing it three or four inches wide — two girths to 
each saddle. The straps to the rings upon the 
right side of the saddle are each passed through 
the rings at the end of a sinch, and run from one 
ring to the other and then fastened. Two good 
blankets are then placed upon the horse, and the 
saddle lifted to its place. The front sinch is 
then brought up and the strap to the front vmo- 
is passed through the ring of the sinch, and 
from one ring to the other three or four times, 
and then drawn up tightly and fastened with a 
ranger's loop. The back sinch is then brought 
around behind the bulge of the belly and fasten- 
ed as the other. By this fastening a saddle can be 



174 bomspert's travels 

drawn up very tightly, and fastened upon the 
animal so firmly that the pony can be jerked 
down and pulled away by the saddle-horn. 
There is not a buckle about the saddle. The 
stirrups are wooden, and are covered with leath- 
ers which hang in two large strips nearly to the 
ground. These leathers are called tapidares. 
The bridles are strong, with raw-hide reins. 
Each boy has a half-inch catch-rope, about forty 
feet long, and made out of sea-grass, leather, or 
raw-hide. This is made fast to the saddle-horn 
at one end, and then coiled and tied up to the 
saddle. Each boy has also a large pair of spurs 
with rowels two inches long, and little bells to 
them, so that when the boy walks the spurs roll 
along upon the ground or floor, and the little 
bells make quite a noise. ISTow, with a belt 
around his waist, and two six-shooters and a 
large knife upon it, he is rigged. The clothing 
is made of California duck, lined with blanket, 
the shirt a double-breasted blue, and the hat a 
large white broad-brim. In an ordinary stock 
county, between two and three hundred cow- 
boys usually come together for the round-up. 
And you bet this is a big day for the hot coffee- 
houses of the place of meeting; for the boys 



THROUGH THE WEST. 175 

usually draw their wages for the occasion, and 
usually succeed in getting things pretty well 
warmed up. The bosses try to keep their boys 
down; but toward evening, when the boys 
gather in from far and near, there are many so- 
cial glasses drank. Often old feuds are stirred 
up; and when once a fight is begun each boy 
sides one way or the other, and there are seldom 
less than four or five killed. If a stranger comes 
in and gives the least occasion, the boys will 
then have their fun. They will make him stand 
still and hold out his hand, and then try to shoot 
between his fingers, or shoot a hole through his 
ears, or see how closely they can shoot to the 
top of his head by shooting through his hat. 
They can do this very well ; and there is not 
much danger until they get pretty full and want 
to make too fine a shot, such as shooting between 
the flesh and skin, and then the thing is too fine 
to be pleasant. Persons coming out here to 
learn this business find it necessary to keep lip 
and braggadocio to themselves, or else the initia- 
tion is pretty heavy. The boys generally get 
pretty well gathered in the first day, and the 
next morning they pull out. 

The captain commands the men like an army 
officer. The loose ponies are all turned together, 



176 romspert's travels 

and the herd often has several hundred heads. 
The captain is a man who understands the coun- 
try and knows every stream and pool in the 
range. He lays his plans and arranges his route, 
and, beginning at one side of the county, he 
takes a range; and dividing up his men, he sends 
them here and there, up and down the forks of 
the creeks and across to the little lakes over the 
range, and directs them to bring in all the cattle 
of the range and round them up at a certain 
place. In a week or ten days they generally 
come in with the cattle ; and they often round 
up a mighty herd. Each brand now has one or 
more representatives, and they watch closely 
after the interests of tlieir employers. They 
then prepare to take out of the round-up all the 
brands that belong to that particular range, 
brand the calves, and let them go. The herd is 
surrounded and held by cow-boys; and fires are 
built around, and all the different brands of that 
range are heated for action. 

One man from each firm that pastures upon 
this range then goes into the herd to get the 
calves that they find following their cows. 
When one is found the noose is thrown, and 
whether it gets the calf round the body, neck, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 177 

leg, or tail it is all the same; the pony is whirled 
and loped off' to the fire, the little fellow rolling, 
tumbling, kicking, and bawling, but all to no 
purpose. He is then held by the boys, and the 
red-hot branding-iron is held against its tender 
skin until the hair is all singed off' and the hide 
burned sore. The little fellow rolls his eyes in 
their sockets and bellows piteously as the smoke 
curls upward from his own body ; but the opera- 
tion is soon over, and he is sent loping into the 
free air upon the range. When all the calves are 
out, the cows and steers are then cut out as fol- 
lows : Each firm has particular horses trained 
for this business, and they are called " cutting 
horses." The boy goes among the herd, and 
when he sees his brand he needs follow it but a 
little way until the pony knows what animal is 
wanted; and all the rider has then to do is to 
stay on. The pony walks after the animal, 
dodging from one side to the other, and when he 
has him driven to the edge he lunges upon the 
cow with great fury. The cow, with fright, 
leaps from the herd ; and in spite of her efforts 
to get back, that pony keeps her out. A rider 
has to be exiJerienced before he can stick a cutting 
horse; for they sometimes go after a cow upon 

12 



178 romspert's travels 

a dead run, and stop in two jumps, whirl upon 
the hind feet, and go off the other way. 

When the cattle of this range are all cut 
out and the calves branded, the rest of the herd 
are then driven to another range. They are held 
here by some boys and left graze, while the cap- 
tain divides up the rest of his men and sends 
them out over that range to gather in all the 
cattle. They are then all rounded up together, 
and, as before, the calves are branded, and all 
the stock belonging to the owners of that range 
is turned loose upon it. In this way they go 
from range to range until the whole county is 
gone over and each firm has its cattle upon its 
own range or ranges, and the calves of that year 
are branded. It is usually about three months 
before the boys all get in from the different coun- 
ties, bringing the cattle upon their own ranges 
and making their reports to head-quarters. 

A strict account is kept, by the boys of each 
firm, of all the cows and steers and calves that 
are gathered from each county; and when the 
round-up is over each company knows just how 
it stands. Sometimes the boys are a little care- 
less and do not brand deep enough, and forget 
to mark the ear. In a year the brand becomes 



THROUGH THE WEST. 179 

SO indistinct that many a quarrel has arisen 
among the boys as to their identity; and I have 
seen some bitter consequences. 

A calf that is following no cow, and is un- 
branded, is called a mavorick ; and though by 
law these now belong to the state .in some places, 
they used to belong to the man who first put his 
brand there. There are many calves missed 
every year; and before the next round-up they 
are weaned, and no one knows to whom they 
belong. There are men who have made them- 
selves good herds by gathering up mavoricks, and 
often stealing calves from the mother, putting 
their brands upon them, and taking them off to 
another range. Sometimes, however, the moth- 
er and offspring get together again before they 
have entirely forgotten their relations; and then 
a calf of one brand is following a cow of another. 
This is very undesirable to the calf-brander; and 
if he can not destroy that mother's affection, or 
in some way arrange that mixed-up family be- 
fore other cow-men get to see it, from what I 
have seen I would advise him to let the darned 
calf go to thunder and get out of that unhealthy 
prairie atmosphere. 

When the round-up is all over and the cattle 
are fat, — usually about the latter part of the 



180 romspert's travels 

month of September, — the beef season begins 
They then go upon their respective ranges, 
round up the cattle, and cut out such as are fit 
for beeves. Four years is the sale age; and sel- 
dom is one sold under this. Each firm has a 
foreman, who does the picking of the beeves; 
and he who is able to tell when a cow or steer is 
fat is considered a good cow-man. The beeves 
are then driven to the railroad, where there are 
stock-pens ; and after the cars are bedded with 
about six inches of sand, the cattle are loaded 
up, making every other one face one side of the 
car, and the others the other side. Twenty is 
the average car-load, though this number varies 
with the size of the cattle. I have seen cars 
crowded with sixteen large steers, and know of 
one firm bringing in a thousand beeves at a time. 
The shipping- rates to St. Louis and Chicago are 
usually twenty dollars per car, making one dol- 
lar per head. The cattle are generally well fat- 
tened ; and though they do not command quite 
as high prices as eastern grain-fed stock, the 
profits are nevertheless very large. One man is 
allowed to each car of stock, to keep them up 
and arrange them should they e:et fast or become 
mixed up in the car. In this way, during the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 181 

shipping season, many persons are furnished free 
transportation to the East. 

Beef'gathering does not generally end until 
the snow flies and the weather becomes severe. 
It is then very rough for the boys; for, good or 
bad, they must take it, with no shelter but a 
gum-coat, called a slicker. When they have a 
herd to hold they have to stand guard all night, 
the same as day. !N'ow, when the clouds sud- 
denly roll from the horizon and dash their con- 
tents upon the plain, when the thunder begins 
to bellow and the lightning to dart its fiery 
tongues through the air, then the cattle become 
perfectly frenzied and rush madly here and there; 
and then comes what they call a stampede. 
Then there is a time. Often but five or six boys 
are holding a herd of several hundred large 
beef-steers when the storm comes on, and as they 
rush madly to and fro the boys dash their ponies 
here and there in front of them, and usually 
hold them ; but when the storm is furious and 
the cattle become frantic and rush in all direc- 
tions, they often break the circle, and then the 
work begins for certain. The ponies understand 
their business, and with all power they get to 
the front ; and if the herd is not too badly scat- 



182 



tered, and (if it be at night) if it be not too 
dark, the herd may again be rallied. Otherwise^ 
they are gone, and the prairie fairly trembles 
beneath them as they, bellowing, rush over the 
plain. When once thoroughly stampeded they 
usually run a long way before checking, and it 
takes several days to gather them in again ; and 
if it be a strange herd going through the coun- 
try, the prospect is that many will never be re- 
captured. It is a sight to see a large herd of 
big Texas steers in a storm, with heads erect, 
racing here and there, clashing their great horns 
together, and loudly snorting. There is dangeVy 
also; for when once they are under full head- 
way they are as irresistible as the hurricane, and 
everything crumbles before them. 

Sometimes when the tired, relieved guards 
are sleeping with their ponies at their sides, the 
herd stampedes, and before they can get into the 
saddle the pony escapes and the cattle rush 
madly over them, trampling them into the sand. 
I recollect of camping close to a large herd of 
Texas steers one cold November night, when the 
rain fell fast, and the lightning pla^^ed upon 
the cattle's horns like morning sunbeams upon 
the mountain-top, and lighted up the plain al- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 183 

most like day. The boys held them for some time ; 
but at lengtli the ponies became worried, and 
away went the steers, their trampling sounding 
like distant thunder. The boys all rushed for 
the front, and after about a mile chase, in which 
I joined, one of the boys dashed in front of the 
herd. In the darkness of the night and the ex- 
citement of the occasion he had forgotten a 
dangerous slough that lay in that direction, and 
his excited pony sprung into the mire. Of course 
the first jump the horse sunk deeply into the 
mud and could not extricate himself, nor could 
the rider get away before the maddened herd 
plunged in upon him. The pony with its rider 
was crushed into the mud and buried alive be- 
fore our eyes, and the cattle struggling in the 
mud above them. The next morning we took 
ropes and pulled some of the steers from the bog 
with the saddle-horn ; but some were smothered 
in the mire with the good pony and gallant 
rider, whom we left in their novel graves, know- 
ing that they were dead anyhow, and thinking 
that perhaps their self-made tombs were as re- 
spectable as any we could hew. 

As was said before, each firm sends a wagon 
with each squad of men that goes out upon the 



184 romspert's travels 

prairie. The wagons all have nice large cup- 
boards (called mess-boxes) fixed in the back end, 
and when going out they take provisions, feed, 
clothes, beds, ropes, etc., and a good set of camp 
implements. This, then, is what is called a cow- 
outfit. The horses are not fed any grain unless 
worked hard and having no time to graze. In 
this case it is also necessary that they should be 
shod. Each company has on hand a large num- 
ber of pressed shoes of all sizes, and before the 
boys go out they always fit their ponies with a 
couple pairs of shoes apiece; and taking also 
a shoeing outfit, they shoe their own ponies. 
When the boys are on a cow or horse hunt, they 
tell the cook where they Avill be for the next 
meal, and he goes immediately there and has 
grub prepared for them as the}' come in. From 
the cook being alone so much of the time, he is 
exposed to great dangers ; and many an outfit 
has gathered to their wagon to find their cook 
lying murdered by the dinner-fire. It is neces- 
sary that the cook should be thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the country, for he is sent across 
the prairie in every direction from one range to 
the other. lie is sometimes called upon to get 
up a meal for ten, fifteen, or twenty men at very 



THROUGH THE WEST. 185 

short notice — often in twenty or twenty-five min- 
utes; and you may imagine the skill that these 
fellows have acquired when this can be done, 
especially when the buffalo- chips are damp. 
The boys will run a dirty cook out of camp ; but 
they think nothing of seeing the cook gather up 
buftalo-cyips with his hands and then make up 
bread without washing. There is a great differ- 
ence in camp-cooks ; and some make nice dough- 
nuts and puddings for the boys, while others get 
nothing but bread and meat, and sometimes 
beans and potatoes. Imagine an eastern girl 
scolding the boys for not procuring sound, dry 
hickory wood, or grumbling because the stove is 
not a good baker, and spreading paper over the 
bread, or flavoring here and seasoning there, 
touching up her delicate tidbits for an hour be- 
fore the table is prepared. Ha, ha, ha ! The cow- 
boys' dinner is twice as good ; and it is gotten 
without wood (and often wet at that), without a 
stove, and without any of the delicious flavor- 
ings, and is forgotten in half an hour. Why, if 
a cow-boy had to wait an hour for dinner he 
would go into camp and kick over the pots and 
skillets, and then step off and see how close he 
could shoot to the cook's ear, just to hurry him 



186 romspert's travels 

up a little. AVhenever they are out of meat, 
they shoot down a nice fat calf, and always 
have the best. It is seldom that they kill their 
own brands ; but when there is no mavor- 
ick, they slide a ball into another man's calf. 
Of course they always cut out the brand and de- 
stroy it. It is quite pleasing to see a cow-outfit 
taking dinner upon the wide, level prairie, with 
their ponies grazing by the camp-side. They all 
get around the hash, which sits in pans and 
skillets, and then crossing their legs they sit 
down upon their feet. This is the cow-boys* 
seat; and when they come into a house where 
there are plenty of chairs they squat to the floor 
upon their own seats. Hot or cold, sutishine or 
storm, the greater part ot the year they sleep 
and dine upon the wild, unsheltered plain. They 
are so used to it, though, that they think notliing 
of it, and stand out in the storm eating their bis- 
cuit and broiled beef with unqualified relish. 
They move their loose ponies from place to place 
in a herd — each boy having his own particular 
riding-horses. When camped they hobble the 
leaders, and the rest will not leave. The hobble 
is made by taking a piece of cow-hide about 
three feet long and two inches wide, tying a 



THROUGH THE WEST. 187 

knot in one end, and cutting a loop in the other. 
This is put around one leg, above the pasture- 
joint, and then twisted and looped around the 
other. The twist keeps the hobble trom work- 
ing down, and the horse does not get around fast 
nor leave carop far unless stampeded by Indians 
or wild horses ; and even in this case they are 
easily captured. Some of the ponies are very shy, 
and when the boys want fresh horses they tie a 
rope to a wagon- wheel, and a boy holds the other 
end. The others then drive the herd up to this 
and throw the noose over the heads of the wanted 
ones. They are so used to this rope that they 
will not attempt to cross one if it is but knee 
high. All idle mules are alwa^-s hobbled ; for 
the cow-boys say "a mule is hell in a stampede." 
The boys of course do their own washing; and 
they usually keep pretty clean, with the excep- 
tion of a few gray-backs, which are their 
warmest bosom and inseparable friends. Some 
companies have as high as seventy-five or a 
hundred men employed during the work-sea- 
son ; and about the first of December they dis- 
charge about half of them until spring, keeping 
the best men over winter, and they are scattered 
over the ranges among the little lonely shanties 



188 



to watch over the cows during winter. They 
are compelled to keep some men who under- 
stand the business and the country, and then 
they can make use of some greenhorns. Bat oh! 
how those cow-boys curse the tender-feet. They 
usually try to get them upon a pony that under- 
stands bucking, to get their necks broken or dis- 
able them in some way or other to get them out 
■of the way. There is no better fun than to get 
a big, clumsy tender-foot upon a well-trained 
cow-pony. He goes dodging along like a mon- 
key, holding to the saddle- horn, with his stirrups 
shortened up and his knees under his chin, gap- 
ing in every direction. Pretty sooii a steer 
dashes from the herd ; the pony, quick as a flash, 
springs after him to round him in. The steer 
dodges ; the pony braces, whirls upon his hind 
feet, and starts ofi in another direction, with the 
tender-foot hanging upon his side with one foot 
fast in the stirrup, the other leg wrapped around 
the saddle-horn, and holding to the mane with 
both hands. With a loud bellow the steer 
makes another whirl ; the pony follows in a 
twinkle; and this time the grip gives way, the 
leg slips over, the horn ripping the cloth and 
bruising the skin, and with a heavy thud ten- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 189 

der-foot comes to the ground, and after rolling^ 
over fifteen or twenty times he lies upon hi& 
belly and raises his head to see if the steer had 
run over the pony too. The boys are usually 
slow about going to help a walloped tender-foot,, 
for fear he will not die if he is helped. 

Cow-boys are ranked in the business some- 
thing like officers in the army. There are fore- 
men, bosses, and sub-bosses, down to privates ^ 
and they are paid according to their experience 
and ability. Some of them have been cow- 
punching — as it is called — for many years, and 
know every water for hundreds of miles around; 
and, of course, they command high wages. The 
common boy gets twenty-five and thirty dollars 
per month ; and the wages range from this up 
to one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Of 
course, one has to be highly experienced to 
command the latter. 

Ponies, riding-outfits, beds, etc., are furnished 
by the companies; but nearly all the boys have 
ponies and riding-rigs of their own. The object 
of this will be explained hereafter. They all 
furnish their own fire-arms, and are usually 
pretty well belted. 

There are large, wealthy firms in Texas — such 
as Hunter & Evans, and others, — who make it a 



190 romspert's travels 

business to breed cattle; and they sell to the 
ranchmen thousands upon thousands of stock- 
cattle every year. They usually cross the short- 
horn with the long-horn ; for the Texican, while 
he is a good rustler and will find enough to live 
on where an American will die, does not Ull out 
well, besides being usually very lierce and wild, 
while, on the other hand, the American has 
the set, and is tame ; but when the pasture is 
poor or the weather severe he will not rustle as 
hard nor feed as far out upon the range as the 
other. 

The trail comes over the prairie, from Texas, 
by Dodge City, Kansas, and goes on up into the 
Platte country, I^ebraska. This trail is several 
hundred miles long, and is divided up into regu- 
lar drives ; and some of the stretches between 
waters are very long. It has been used for 
many years, and is worn wide and deep. Every 
spring and fall these stock-breeders send great 
herds up this trail. Sometimes as many as 
twenty-five thousand are strung out in one herd. 
At these seasons, persons wanting cattle gather 
along the trail and wait for a herd. The herds 
are composed of from one to three yearlings ; 
and for first choice the usual price is twelve dol- 
lars, and ranging down to seven dollars. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 191 

There are large horse companies in the South, 
and great herds of ponies are also driven up the 
trail each fall and spring. They sell for from 
twenty to fifty dollars per head. 

Many cattle give out on the long march, and 
numerous riding-ponies get their backs scalded 
and rubbed and are worn down weak and thin, 
and can be bought for a song ; and after a month 
or two of rest they are all right. 

Many new wagons are brought up with the 
herds to haul the necessary supplies, and, not 
being needed for the return, they can be bought 
very cheap, from the inconvenience of running 
them back so far. There are persons ranched 
along this trail who buy the worn-out cattle and 
ponies and the wagons; and there have been 
fortunes made at it. 

When a man wants to go into the cattle- 
business and does not know the country well, he 
finds out from the cow-boys some place that is 
unoccupied and that would make a good cattle- 
range. He then goes there, and at some good 
place builds a good ranch and strong corral, 
then gets a branding-iron made and procures a 
wagon and camp outfit, ponies, etc., and then, 
hiring an experienced man to manage the bud- 



192 



ness, he goes to the trail during one of the afore- 
said seasons and buys what he wants. By pay- 
ing twelve dollars per head he gets his choice 
from the mighty herd, and can make up his herd 
of good cattle nearly three years old. Buying 
half steers and half heifers, he will have the 
heifers to immediately breed from, and thereby 
have some steers ready for market in one year. 
This will pay his expenses. The next year 
he will have more to sell, and the calves will be 
coming on. By selling every marketable steer 
each fall and investing the money in young cat- 
tle, it is not long until the herd is numerous and 
the shipments can be great. When he has his 
herd he drives them upon his range, and hires 
some boys to help him brand them. Two strong 
posts are firmly planted in the corral, about 
twelve feet apart, and part of the herd is driven 
in at a time. A boy rides in, throws his rope 
over the horns of an animal, and, all under- 
standing their business, the cow is soon pulled 
upon her side. A rope is put around the hind 
feet and wrapped around one of the posts and 
held by a boy, and another rope is put around 
the front feet and wrapped around the other 
post and held by another boy, while the brander 
applies the iron. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 193 

This branding business is fine sport for per- 
sons who are not accustomed to seeing it; and 
when I first came to the country I was pres- 
ent on all such occasions when possible. The 
boys used to let me lasso the cattle, and 
took great pains in showing me how it was 
done ; and at length it was a small job to catch 
a cow, still or running. I recollect very well the 
first branding I ever attended. The boys caught 
a two-year-old steer and threw him down, and, 
putting a rope around the hind feet, they gave it 
to me to hold. They told me to wrap the rope 
three or four times around my body and then 
turn my back to the steer and pull as hard as I 
could, and I could hold him easily. Well, I 
had seen steers enough to know that they 
could kick like thunder. But I thought that 
perhaps by having his legs pulled straight out 
behind I could manage him ; and I was pulling 
like a ivheel-horse, when something happened. 
There was a sudden jerk from back toward 
the steer, and a loud snort. Then I whirled 
round so fast that it looked as though there 
were steers all around me; and I made a jump 
backward that beats the best on record. When 
I recovered I had a little pain in the stom- 

13 



194 romspert's travels 

ach, and half the buttons were torn off my 
clothes ; and I was altogether changed about. I 
tell you, boys, you can have your own opinion 
about it, but I believe that steer would have 
jerked the hind end of the world out if he had 
been fastened to it. I wish it distinctly under- 
stood that whenever there is a red-hot iron to be 
poked against a steer's skin I want to be on the 
side where there are no legs. 

It is not usually much of a job to catch and 
throw an animal ; but sometimes there is a large, 
powerful, wild Texican in the bunch, and the 
boys have some fun. In this case they throw 
two or three ropes upon the animal, and the 
ponies hold him fast. When the herd is all 
branded they are turned upon the range ; and 
having prepared it, he takes up his abode in 
his humble little ranch. If his herd is not 
large, he and his little help can ride out every 
day to look after the cattle and keep them upon 
the range, and his herd will not be much scat- 
tered in the spring. 

In chosing a range it is best, if possible, to 
take up a rough part, or where there is timber ; 
for being thus sheltered from the fierce winter 
blasts, the cattle are not apt to drift. Of course 



THROUGH THE WEST. 195 

if he or they want to go into the business very 
largely, it will be necessary, perhaps, to hunt 
several ranges, and build cabins there for the 
boys. 

It is interesting to see a well-trained pony 
play his part in the roping process. He watches 
the lariat, and as the rider throws it he makes 
two or three rapid jumps to give the rope slack, 
and if it catches, he then stops, plants his feet in 
the sand, and turns to suit the cow. A small 
pony, if well trained, can hold a good steer by 
the horns or foot. The rider can dismount and 
go to the captive, and the pony will do the hold- 
ing. Sometimes the animal is too much, howev- 
er, and in spite of his greatest efforts, the pony 
is jerked heavily to the ground. I have seen the 
saddle jerked from the pony and taken across 
the prairie by the horns of a steer. This mostly 
happens when there is a bad throw, and the ani- 
mal is caught around the neck or body. The 
saddles, as has been said, are large and very 
heavy, with big blankets under them, so that the 
back of the pony is never injured by the surges 
of any captive. I have often thought of the 
pieces that one of the eastern turtle-shell saddles 
would be jerked into should one of these power- 



196 romspert's travels 

fill wild steers be tied to the horn. The catch- 
rope has a knot in one end of it, and when 
thrown in a certain way it will lap around the 
foot and tie. This is a good catch, and can be 
done at a dead run ; but it requires much more 
skill than the regular noose-catch. The foot is 
sometimes caught in chase with the noose ; but 
this requires superior skill, and the Mexican only 
can practice this successfully. In ca^e a steer 
gets cross, or is wild and mean about going into 
a corral or stock-pen, several boys dash upon 
him, some throwing their ropes around his 
horns, others around his feet, and others around 
his neck and tail, and with a whoop they drag 
him in. I have seen fifteen-hundred-pound 
steers dragged in this way. These ponies would 
pull nothing by a collar; but they are trained to 
pull by the saddle, and can draw a big load that 
way. Cow-boys often pull emigrant wagons out 
of streams and sloughs, where good teams have 
left them stand. Of course this roping all re- 
quires practice, and the skill that may be ac- 
quired at it would astonish one w^ho had never 
seen the performance here upon the prairie. 
Sometime a single and lone cow-boy is crossing 
the prairie, and happens to run across a two or 



THROUGH THE WEST. 197 

three year old that in some way has been missed. 
Riding upon it he ropes it ; and while the pony 
holds it he takes his knife and marks the ear, 
and brands it by cutting the hair to the skin in 
the brand shape. This will stay until branding 
season, and then it can be done over. 

Great flocks of sheep are also raised out here, 
and it is said that there is much more profit in 
them than in cattle, ordinarily. But the risk is 
much greater, as in case of a severe winter, like 
sometimes visit the prairie, many of them die; 
for there is no chance to shelter or feed them 
like in the East among barns and stocks. Ex- 
perienced stock-men say that sheep usually pay 
from seventy-five to one hundred per cent upon 
the investment, and cattle from forty to sixty 
per cent. But of course this varies a good deal 
according to the season. There is an amalgam 
here called the greaser^ who is part Mexican, 
Indian, and negro, and they do most of the 
sheep-raising. They have straight black hair, 
very dark complexion, and are extremely wicked 
and cruel. The}^ are very filthy, and hence the 
name greaser. They use the donkey, or burro, 
and pack from place to place. To see them with 
their flocks and asses upon the hill-side is sug- 



198 



gestive of ancient times, and causes one to think 
of flocks and herds upon the plains of historical 
Europe and Asia. In order that all my readers 
may know the nature of these vile and odious 
specimens of humanity, I will describe them aa 
the ugliest, meanest, most slovenly, cruel, treach- 
erous, and quarrelsome beings I ever saw. Each 
greaser carries a large knife ; and you bet 
he knows how to use it. He can throw it into 
a man's body at the distance of ten feet every 
time; and upon the least provocation, if close 
enough, he will cut your jugular-vein the first 
whack. They sometimes move their flocks- 
upon the stock-ranges, and any one acquainted 
with sheep knows the condition in which pasture 
is left after several thousand sheep have ranged 
over it. This enrages the cattle- men, and they 
send cow-boys to move them oft*. There have 
been many bitter battles fought between these 
parties for this cause, and many a Mexican has 
bitten the dust and had his flock scattered and 
destroyed. When cow-boys start out to do any- 
thing that can be done with six-shooters, they 
usually do it; and could the bleaching Mexican 
skeletons but speak, the truth of the assertion 
would only be too well evidenced. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 199 

Most persons have heard of the Texas cattle- 
fever and its terrible ravages. It is almost en- 
tirely confined to the regions along the trail; 
and though not often the case, it is some 
years very destructive, and hundreds of cattle 
are stretched out dead upon either side of the 
trail, and stock-men are afraid to buy. Stock 
can then be bought cheap. There is much 
speculation as to what this disease is ; and many 
theories have been advanced by scientific men as 
to its cause, and whether it is contagious. The 
following is one of the theories ; and to me it 
seems the most plausible : In driving the cattle 
so far through the hot sand, their feet become 
sore and fester; and when they are halted by 
the drivers and left graze out upon the range 
the matter from their feet is imparted and de- 
posited on the grass, and this grass being 
eaten by the cattle causes the affection. Others 
say that it is a regular disease, that it originated 
in Texas, and that it is contagious. But I have 
observed that the disease is not prevalent in 
Texas or any other country except the ranges 
along the trail. I have also observed that the 
disease is not contagious if cattle are not left 
graze upon the same range too soon after coming 



200 romspert's travels 

off the trail. The cattle that are once badly- 
affected with the disease seldom do much good 
afterward. 

The stock-business beins: the almost exclusive 
occupation of the people upon the vast w^estern 
prairie world, which to this is so particularly 
adapted, I hope I have been justified in treating 
of this subject at so great length. I have tried 
to picture the country in the imagination of per- 
sons (who have never been here) as it really is, 
and to satisfy the curiosity of those who have 
heard so much of the great western herds, as 
well as to inform those who would wish to en- 
gage in the business upon the vast free domain. 
Thinking that perhaps the subject has been suf- 
ficiently spoken of I shall conclude, and refer the 
reader to the closing letters of this work for 
further information. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 201 



CHAPTER YL 

Cow-Boy History— Mustangs and Broncos— Cow-Boys with 
Six-Shooters — Dodge City— Boot Grave-yard — Prairie Mys- 
teries—Dance-Halls—Sketch of Buffalo Bill— Theory of the 
Plains — Trading-House — Antelope Chase — We Prepare for 
a Mountain Tour. 

Most persons of ordinary information have 
heard something of the character of the popula- 
tion of the great American plains, and have ob- 
served that the cow-boys have had their share of 
attention and comment. From actual observa- 
tions made during my long roam upon the prai- 
ries I feel able to contribute a few lines that will 
no doubt be interesting to persons who have 
read such speculative and varied accounts, and 
who wish to be well and truly informed. 

The great country that has been described as 
adapted to no other purpose than stock-rais- 
ing is necessarily almost exclusively populated 
with cow-men ; and, without legal restraint, the 
prairie fairly trembles with their power. I am 
personally acquainted with many of the boys ; 
and while I have many warm friends among 



202 romspert's travels 

them, I also have some deadly enemies. I have 
studied their dispositions, and, by the instrument 
of warmest confidence, have drawn from their 
bosoms many dark and hidden secrets. When 
a person takes into consideration the 'position 
and surroundings of these boys, he is not aston- 
ished at the almost unexceptionably bold, bestial, 
and immoral character of these creatures of the 
broad western wilds. In civilized and Christian- 
ized regions, if a person be disposed to be rough 
and immoral — though he often meets those of 
like disposition and is encouraged, — he must and 
will, from time to time, come in contact with 
those whom the faintest th robbings of natural 
manhood will move him to respect; for instance^ 
the sweet smile or the soft, silver-toned word 
from the lips of a kind female or the address of 
a noble man. As he walks the streets by the 
dim light of the gas-lamp, profaning the Sab- 
bath or planning dark vices, the sweet strains 
from the lips of the worshipers away up in the 
tabernacle will waft out of the open window 
upon the soft evening zephyrs and irresistibly 
appeal to his faint sensibilities. The voice of the 
good minister is heard ; and though the heart be 
mailed with a coat of evil and the spark of ce- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 203 

lestial fire called conscience be almost smothered, 
these soft influences are felt and are fuel to the 
fire of man's natural sensibilities. And back of 
all this is the strong hand of the law, backed by 
public sentiment, with which the latitude of 
man's privileges is measured out. The checks 
are so many and so great that it is some time be- 
fore the conscience of man can be overcome by 
the rolling waves of immoral and iniquitous 
temptations. But it is quite otherwise in the 
unsettled country where the musical strains do 
not reach nor the words of the gospel sound, 
and where the sweet influence of womanhood is 
not shed, and worst of all, where the law is the 
loill and the might makes the right. There is 
nothing to stay the degeneration into which 
mankind is naturally so prone to drift; and in 
several years' life with such surroundings the 
sensibilities of man become as callous as a stone^ 
The very atmosphere is impregnated with pro- 
fanity, and new-comers can seldom resist the 
epidemic. Many of these boys stay alone away 
out upon distant ranges for several months at a 
stretch without seeing a human being, with the 
howl of the wolf and the angry growl of the 
wild beasts constantly floating upon the prairie 



204 romspert's travels 

breeze, and the monotony broken now and then 
by the war-whoop of the treacherous red-man, 
who cruises upon the plain beneath his white 
plume, seeking the lives and scalps of the lone 
boys. The eflect of a life in the open air, and a 
diet of wild meats, together with the influencee 
of an unsettled country, I have already felt by 
actual experience; and he who has described the 
wickedness and boldness of the cow-boy in the 
strongest language I will assure you is not 
guilty of exaggeration, for indeed they are sav- 
ages. They do most all their work upon horse- 
back ; and being in the saddle every day, they 
are so expert at equestrianism that it is amusing 
to see them ride. They walk so little that the 
muscles of their legs are very weak, and on foot 
they can do very little. They always keep a 
pony picketed close by, and if they want to go a 
quarter of a mile the pony is saddled. 

The bronco is a California pony, and the mus- 
tang is a pony that was found upon the plains of 
Mexico. Both these breeds are used by cow- 
men ; and they are, with few exceptions, very 
hard to break. They are natural backers; and 
some of them never forget it, and take a heat at 
it after being rode for several years; that is, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 205 

they put their head between their knees, stick 
out their tails, and then begin to jump stiff-leg- 
ged. The first lunge will perhaps be four or 
five feet forward, the next several feet backward, 
then from side to side, and all the while bawling 
like an ox. They sometimes begin as soon as 
the sinch is drawn and before it is fastened, and 
tearing furiously from the boy they buck over 
the plain until the saddle comes off or until they 
are entirely exhausted. It is a curious habit, 
but it appears to be natural with them; and if 
any person takes it to be an agreeable exercise 
to back one of these professional buckers, he 
should try it on once, and I will assure him that 
one fall upon the back of the neck will be suffi- 
cient to convince him that he was mistaken. It 
takes practice to be able to ride one of these fel- 
lows; and men considered good riders in the East 
are tipped by these ponies as easily as a stone 
from a slippery log. To see a big tender-foot 
back a bucker is about as funny a thing as I 
ever witnessed. The first jump the boy pops up 
about six inches, the next a foot, and so on. 
Soon he pops up so high that the pony gets one 
pop ahead of him, and when he comes down the 
pony is gone ; and with a thud he comes to the 



206 



ground, usually upon the back of his shoulders, 
with his feet gesticulating wildly in the direc- 
tion he came from. These hoys are so well up 
to them, however, that they do not think much 
about it, ordinarily, though there is one some- 
times that it takes the best rider to stick. I saw 
a boy mount a pony that it was said could not be 
rode, while he said he could not be thrown. 
The pony began his wickedest ; and such buck- 
ins: I never saw. He bucked for full fifteen 
minutes, and was worried down. The blood 
was gushing from the mouth and nose of the 
rider. The powerful jerking had almost ruined 
him ; and of the effects of that ride he said he 
never expected to be cured. "But," said he, "in 
all my riding-experiences in fifteen years upon 
the prairie, I never backed the like." jN"ow, 
when a little mule once learns to buck, he is what 
the cow-boys call double-geared lightning; for 
this, with the natural-born ability of the mule, 
enables him to come as near 'playing hell as is 
possible without using the real material ; and a 
person who did not see him begin would swear 
it was a herd of mules dashing around, so nu- 
merous and violent are his maneuvers. When a 
wild pony is to be broken he is roped, a saddle 



THROUGH THE WEST. 207 

strapped upon him, and the rider takes his seat. 
He is then turned loose upon the prairie to cut 
capers, while the other boys ride after him to 
keep from ^oing too far, or from jumping into 
bogs or gutters. As they come dashing over 
the prairie whooping and hallooing, the pony 
bucking and bawling, and the rider applying 
his big spurs, the sight is grand ; and it is sel- 
dom one of these boys is moved from his seat. 
When the pony is worried out, he then puts a 
bridle on him and drills him. Of course it 
would be impossible to ride these fellows with 
the saddles that are used in the states. But, as 
has been said, these saddles are large, the horn 
is high, and when mounting a bad pony a roll of 
blankets is tied upon the saddle-skirt, and it is 
difficult to get a rider from his seat. Some of 
these boys have been almost horn in the saddle; 
and riding so much, they are so bow-legged they 
can hardly walk. I have seen these boys ride 
along on a dead run and grab up in succession 
four and five silver dollars that were laid upon 
the ground fifty yards apart. They become very 
venturesome and mischievous, and sometimes catch 
the big-horned Texas steers, jump upon their 
backs, pull their tail up over the shoulder, and 



208 romspert's travels 

my, oh ! what a time ! The steer bounds away 
snorting, bucking, and bellowing; but in spite 
of his efforts the boy holds on to the tail and 
keeps his seat. When they want some milk 
they ride out and rope a cow ; and while the 
pony holds the cow they milk what they want. 
From so much practice, these boys are as expert 
with the six-shooter as with the pony; and per- 
sons considering themselves good shots should 
not brand themselves superior until once shoot- 
ing a round or two with a cow-boy. I have 
seen boys ride over the river bridge at Granada, 
and at a dead run shoot two and three glass 
telegraph insulators from the railing in one 
round from the six-shooter. They practice this 
so much that they can shoot better from a pony 
than from the ground. Some have the cells filed 
out, so that the firing can be done more rapidly. 
There are saloons all along the railroads and cat- 
tle-trails, and when the boys are out alone upon 
the range for some time they feel like having a 
picnic when getting to where somebody lives. 
They are usually very liberal when they have 
money, and everybody present is called on to 
" come up and represent." Whisky is consider- 
ed the grace of God in this country, and of course 



THROUGH THE WEST. 209 

it is very seldom refused. Now, if there are sev- 
eral together, a few drinks about makes happi- 
ness full; and the ball then opens. The boys all 
draw good wages, their expenses are light, and 
most of them aim to spend in saloons every dol- 
lar that is not needed for actual necessaries. 
They often draw from fifty to one hundred dol- 
lars at once, and spend every dollar of it before 
leaving a saloon. There are men making fort- 
unes off" the cow-boys to-day. There are profes- 
sional gamblers lurking around most of these 
frontier saloons, and they watch to intoxicate the 
boys and then play them out of their money. 
Though the game be begun in the best of hu- 
mor, it is usual for each man to lay his six-shooter 
at his side; and the maxim is, mind your eye. 
As long as everything is done squarely there is 
no trouble; but the first man that is caught 
tricking is in hot quarters; and I have seen some 
deadly battles without one word spoken. Some- 
times the gamblers entirely strip the boys, and 
with an understanding, when there is a large pot, 
they point the six-shooters at the gamblers* 
heads and pull in the pile. 

Some years ago Dodge City, Kansas, was giv- 
en up to be the roughest and most wicked place 

14 



210 romspert's travels 

in the United States. It is situated right where 
the Texas trail crosses the railroad, and was a 
regular stock-center. Numbers of cow-boys 
were constantly going in and out, and whole 
dens of gamblers and prostitutes were quartered 
here for lucre. The population being composed 
of such beings, and the clash of the six-shooter 
being the voice of the law, the vilest conse- 
quences are but natural. Ah ! many a man 
played his last game here, and mingled his dy- 
ing-breath with the lurid smoke of the six- 
shooters. Men were shot down like dogs, and 
buried as they fell, red with gore and horribly 
mangled. 

There is at this place a yard called the Boot 
Grave-yard, a place well known to all western 
men, and called thus from the fact that thirty- 
eisrht men have been buried here with their 
boots on. There was scarcely a day that there 
was not a riot in town among the cow-boys, or 
between the cow-boys and gamblers ; and of 
course shooting and cutting was the consequence. 
Emigrants passing through with wagons, and 
not knowing the place, were decoyed into dark 
places and robbed. Passengers from the trains, 
on going in for refreshments and showing any 



THROUGH THE WEST. 211 

amount of money, were trapped and robbed, 
and were killed upon resistance. You are a 
stranger in the country, and they are all cliqued 
together ; and what are you to do ? If you go 
to making much trouble, or get to shooting off 
your mouth, the consequences can be imagined. 
Even when there are officers, they are not able 
to command order; for the first day they try it 
a ball from some unknown villain will strike 
him. Hence the officers are usually cliqued 
with the desperadoes. The easier a person can 
get out of these places the better ; for the officers 
themselves will put you into a dungeon for the 
gamblers to rob you. 

Fully one half the gamblers and cow-boys of 
the "West are persons who have committed dark 
crimes and fled thither to escape justice; and 
wickedness, when once launched, will find in 
this country easy sailing. 

As has been said, almost every cow-boy has 
one pony and riding-rig of his own. In case 
he should come into a place and kill somebody, 
this pony is calculated to skip with to another 
part, thereby avoiding the necessity of riding ofl 
one of the company's horses. 

The regular initiation to the cow-boys' society 
is three murders ; and when they find that you 



212 romspert's travels 

are good stuff, and will shoot without cereraonyy 
you are one of the hoys; and you may depend 
upon it that you have friends who will stand by 
you in the hours of darkest danger. But if you 
prove to be a hrag and a coward^ your misfor- 
tunes are laughed at. 

If a criminal is pursued, and he can reach the 
banks of the Arkansas River anywhere west of 
Dodge City, and then understands the plains, he 
is as safe as though he were in an uninhabited 
land. Or if he does not understand the prairie, 
and goes to a cow-camp and tells the boys what 
is up, if he has the right appearance one of them 
will mount a j?o??2/ and give him one, and lope 
across to another range. Persons who do not 
know the country can not follow a person here ; 
and if it is tried, and you do not perish from 
thirsty death will meet you in some way — you can 
rest assured of that. Telegraph-wires and offi- 
cers of the law are of little avail here in running 
down a felon; and if a person keeps on his 
guard, and stays upon the range away from the 
towns, there is no danger of ever being taken. 

Many of the boys are never caught off their 
guard, and the belt is upon them at the board 
and in the bed. They are ever prepared. Every 



THROUGH THE WEST. 213 

stranger is watched with an eagle eye, and 
the least suspicion is nipped in the bud. 

There was one boy who had been upon the 
plains for several years, and who had proved 
himself a hero. He had committed murder in 
Alabama and fled from justice, and a ]^ew York 
detective had been employed to hunt him down ; 
but it was some years before a clue could be 
found. He one night came to the home of 
the widowed mother, and passing himself off as 
a peddler not long from Germany, in a long, 
cunning conversation he obtained a slight trace 
of the felon son ; and at length he trailed him to 
the Colorado plains. He learned that he was 
cow-punching; and the only way to get him 
was to cow-punch too. So, rigging himself out 
in a cow-boy's dress, he hired to a company and 
went to work. He was at the business several 
weeks, and at length came across his man. He 
had been very careful about every word and mo- 
tion, and, assuming a careless appearance, he 
was not in the least suspicioned. He knew he 
was in a dangerous position ; for if the cow-boys 
even mistrusted him he would be shot. But 
with great cunning and ingenuity he had avoid- 
ed all suspicion ; and after awhile he became 



214 romspert's travels 

quite intimate, and was taken into the cow-boy's 
confidence, lie watched his opportunity, and 
was alone with his man upon the Tepee, in 
Texas, one beautiful summer's eve; and they 
both stooped to drink from the little stream. 
The detective was careful to arise first, and 
drawing his six-shooter he leveled it upon his- 
man, and as he rose said, "Surrender, and be 
quiet; for you are my prisoner." Quick as a 
flash the cow-boy saw his position, and resolved 
to make the most of it. Maintaining his pres- 
ence of mind he coolly remarked, " Well, I sup- 
pose you want my arms." The detective, not 
realizing his real danger, and not considering- 
the cow-boy's dexterity with a pistol, assented 
to the boy handing him the pistol, but kept hi& 
aim. The six-shooter was drawn from the scab- 
bard, the fore-finger was slipped into the guard 
in front of the trigger, and, taking the pistol by 
the barrel, he reached it to the detective; and 
as he let down his own arm and reached for the 
extended weapon the cow-boy whirled the six- 
shooter, caught the handle, and in a twinkling a 
ball was sent whizzing through the body of the 
detective; and he lay pouring his life-blood 
upon the green bank of the Tepee, at the very 
feet of his intended victim. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 215 

It was only by long acquaintance and the 
most perfect confidence that I was intrusted 
with these secrets. I passed by the dead body 
before the color had quite left the cheeks. He 
was a fine-looking man, with an intellectual ap- 
pearance ; but, lest he should give himself away, 
he had cleaned out his pockets, and there was 
not even a paper by which his name could be 
ascertained. There may be a good w^oman and 
loving family somewhere in "New York to-day 
waiting for the return of a long- absented loved 
one ; but God forbid that it should be he whose 
bones lie bleaching on the banks of the Tepee. 
There are many such cases; and could the 
ghastly skulls but tell their tales, great volumes 
could be written of what will ever remain a deep 
secret. 

Persons traveling over the plains will from 
time to time come upon human remains, some 
but partially decomposed and others disarticu- 
lated skeletons. A few miles north of the Ar- 
kansas River, in eastern Colorado, there is a 
long, deep hollow that from the great number of 
skeletons found therein is called Dead MarCs 
Arroyo. They appear to have been there for 
many years; but there is not a mark upon the 



216 komspert's travels 

valley rocks or spirit-whisper in the soft air to 
tell the sad tale. It is suj^posed that a hunting 
outfit was surprised at night and murdered by 
the Indians. 

While hunting in the pan-handle country, we 
found the skeletons of four ponies lying in a cir- 
cle, and a human skeleton (apparently a negro) 
lying among them. There were seventy-two 
Winchester cartridge-shells by his side; and it 
is thought that he was attacked by Indians, and 
for shelter shot down all his ponies, then fought 
off his enemies until his ammunition was ex- 
hausted, and died by a cruel hand. I have spent 
many interesting hours in the careful investiga- 
tion of these mysteries, and surmising the causes 
and means by which these results were effected. 
From the fact that crime can be committed in 
the silence of the lonely plain, with so little dcai- 
ger of ever being discovered (the body often 
wasting to a skeleton before being discovered), 
there are many cold-blooded killings. When 
the least difficulty occurs among persons here, 
the arbitrator is almost invariably the six- 
shooter. 

There are dance-halls in many of the little 
towns within the cow-boy's range. They are 



THROUGH THE WEST. 217 

usually built of sod or adobe^ and are about fifty 
feet long and thirty feet wide. In one corner 
there is a bar ; and in the back end of the build- 
ing are several small rooms in which stay the fe- 
male dancers. They are usually Mexican girls. 
Musicians are employed to stay here all the 
time; and every night some of the cow-boys, 
Mexicans, or miners come in, — often from twenty 
and thirty miles, — for a dance. At the end of 
each set each boy must take his partner to the 
bar. Drinks and cigars are usually two bits 
apiece, and the lowest is fifteen cents apiece or 
two for two bits. If it is found out that there 
are boys in who have much money, the bar- 
keeper posts the musicians and the sets are cut 
very short. As long as the boys will spend 
money the dance is kept up, if it is all night; 
but so soon as the money stops the dance stops. 
The profits are large, and among these reckless 
boys a shrewd hall-man often clears from one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars in a 
single night. Knowing the character and dis- 
position of the persons who attend these balls, 
and considering the attending circumstances 
upon these occasions, the scenes can be readily 
imagined. Desperadoes gather in from all di- 



218 romspert's travels 

rections, boys meet here to settle quarrels, and 
cow-boys and Mexicans being natural enemies, 
there are often mighty lively times. Each boy 
is ambitious to be a had man; and after they get 
pretty well fired with liquor the recklessness 
commences and the wild spirit begins to glitter. 
Six-shooters are jerked, knives are drawn, and 
with wild yells bottles and glasses are shot from 
the bar, lights are fired down, and the basest 
profanity floats out of the appertures of the 
earthly hell upon the prairie breeze. Old 
grudges are stirred up, bullies try to pick a 
quarrel from others and then strike them down 
and try to run the house. One boy will im- 
agine himself insulted by some other, and get- 
ting his friends together a fight is begun. Boys 
are shot down upon the dancing-floor, and each 
man tries to be the bloodiest. The consequences 
of these wicked balls are often very bitter, and 
there are some sickening scenes to be viewed in 
the morning light. I recollect being at Las 
Animas, Colorado, one night when there was a 
dance at the old Alhambra (a Mexican dance- 
hall), and I went to the ball to see how things 
were carried on and to learn the Colorado styles. 
I got there early in the evening, and the Mexi- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 219 

cans were having a big fandango in six-eight 
time. About nine o'clock the cow-boys began 
to gather in, when things began to warm up and 
the scene put on a new aspect. The cow-boy& 
got wild with liquor, and riding around the hall 
yelling and shooting, they made the old adobe 
dust fly like sand in a hurricane. Bullets 
whistled in every direction, and when one cut 
through ray beard I concluded things were get- 
ting a little warm; but wanting to see it all, I 
got behind the bar with the tender. There were 
a good many Mexicans in the hall, and the two 
parties began to contend for the house. There 
were two doors \\\ front, j*nd three boys arranged 
themselves in a line at either door. The doors- 
were then thrown open by others, and leaning 
low upon the ponies, the six boys plunged their 
spurs into the sides of their animals and like a 
flash rushed into the house. They rode up to 
the lights and struck them down with their six- 
shooters ; and then in the darkness the bloody 
contest was hand-to-hand. The women scream- 
ed, the horses snorted, the cow-boys shot, and 
the Mexicans cut. I knew the contest wa& 
bloody, and I was anxious to know how the 
thing was coming on ; but the horses were pranc- 



220 romspert's travels 

ing around so furiously, and it was too dark to 
dodge the bullets that were flying like rocks in 
an earthquake, so I kept behind the bar and 
waited for the curtain to rise. In about 'Q.ve 
minutes the noise abated ; and when the lamps 
were lighted a horrible spectacle met my view. 
The ponies were all out; but three of the riders 
were horribly mutilated and bleeding upon the 
floor. Two Mexicans (greasers) were also rid- 
dled with bullets and gasping in death, while 
others were badly wounded. I went out among 
the cow-boys and found that some of them were 
also deeply gashed and bleeding. They had got 
the worst of the battle; and being late in the 
night they concluded to disperse and come in 
some other night for some more fun. There was 
not a boy in the crowd that appeared to be in 
the least affected with the loss of his comrades, 
and with wild whoops they rushed ofl" like the 
wind. Going into the hall I found the band 
playing, and the Mexicans were preparing to 
continue the ball. The five bodies were drag- 
ged up in the corner and a blanket thrown over 
them, and in the blood of the expired men the 
fandango was carried on till the morn began to 
dawn. This was a regular dance-hall scene, and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 221 

not in any way an unusual one. I attended balls 
at a number of different halls, and witnessed 
many bloody riots. 

Of course, these halls are not allowed near 
towns of much size or importance, where men 
4ive with their families, but are mostly in small 
places, and in many cases are far out upon the 
range. They are built in all shapes. The very 
air is contaminated with the vicious venom that 
arises from their walls like the odor from hell. 
Some are built by digging into the ground a few 
feet and then putting a few feet of adobes on top, 
making the ceiling just high enough for a man 
to walk under; and when the fiends gather in 
the nights are made hideous and the noise of 
the riots sounds like the rumbling of the infer- 
nal regions. These houses are the manufacto- 
ries of evil and the polluted fountains from 
which untold misery and wickedness have been 
drunk by the unfortunate ones who traveled 
thither. Many a noble though ambitious young 
man, the pride of a happy family and the de- 
light of his fellow-comrades, has gone west to 
seek his fortune, like his forefathers in years 
gone by. The location is often made in these 
wild places, and when the cultivated delicacy 



222 

and human timidity are once a little numbed, he 
walks with his comrades and is soon led to their 
venomous dens. Though it may be a little 
shocking at first, there is nothing but his own 
lonely conscience to discourage him and warn 
him of the enormity and danger ; and under the 
circumstances the ordinary man is tempted and 
will go down. When he visits these houses 
the seeds are sown in his breast that the oxygen 
of prairie air will hasten to maturity. 

Every man who visits these places has his life 
in his hand; and it is as easily dropped as 
though it were the most insignificant article. 
Often when a fond family is daily looking for a 
loved one to return, his spirit is winging the 
subtile air and his bones are bleaching upon the 
prairie, the secret, like the body, melting into 
clay. Of course, as was said, these vile places 
and extremely wicked inhabitants are princi- 
pally found in small towns in the midst of the 
unsettled country or where these earthly hells are 
pitched in the midst of the plain ; for there are 
some jpretty little towns and good people. It ap- 
pears somewhat strange that man — and not only 
man— will so degenerate, and become so ex- 
tremely wicked and beastly ; but it appears that 



THROUGH THE WEST. 223 

the average person, when living in a wild, un- 
settled country, surrounded with so much evil, 
loses all his refinement and develops into a new 
creature. 

While picturing western life and relating 
frontier adventures it may be proper and perhaps 
interesting to many to give a sketch of the life of 
Hon. Wm. F. Cody,— "Buffalo Bill,"— a man 
known the world over as a border hero, of whom 
too much can not be said in the way of praise 
for valuable services rendered the Government 
as an army-scout, guide, and Indian-fighter. 

Born in Iowa in 1843, at a time when that 
state v/as a border, and at an early age going 
with his father to Kansas, in the midst of the 
troubles there that "tried men's souls," William 
F. Cody was reared amid scenes of danger, and 
met with many thrilling adventures ere he 
reached his thirteenth year, becoming a "boy 
hero " when killing his fi^rst Indian before he en- 
tered his teens. 

The death of his father, from the result of 
wounds received in the Kansas war, left the boy 
the support of his mother and sisters, and, pre- 
cocious for his years, he joined an emigrant- 
train as teamster, and rapidly rose from that po- 



221 romspert's travels 

sition to hunter and guide over the overlaud 
trails to the far West. 

Of his numerous adventures, narrow escapes, 
Indian battles, and hardships volumes could be 
written — for he made his name famous along 
the border from Utah to Texas ; and though a 
mere boy in years, few men were his superior in 
strength and endurance, while the cunning of 
the red-man he matched with equal cunning, 
and, in fact, won the name of being able to "out- 
Injun, Injun." 

Of Mr. Cody's gaining the title of "Buffalo 
Bill" several stories are told, one of which is 
that when a boy-hunter to one of Russell, Major 
& Waddell's trains, carrying GrovernmCiit sup- 
plies west to the forts, he was alone on the prai- 
rie one day, hunting, when he espied a tremen- 
dous herd of buffaloes coming toward him at 
full speed. The train-encampment was miles 
away, the boy was on foot, and there was but 
one chance to escape being trampled to death, 
and that was to reach a lone cotton-wood tree 
some distance off. A fleet runner, he gained the 
tree and drew himself up into the branches just 
as the herd of thousands of buffaloes came tear- 
ing along beneath him. Scarcely had he men- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 225 

tally congratulated himself upon his lucky escape 
when he espied behind the herd hdlf a hundred 
Sioux warriors in full pursuit; and he knew 
that they would make short work of him, for 
they would also pass under the tree. To remain 
was certain death ; and his fertile mind saw a 
chance, — one in a thousand, — and he seized 
upon it at once. He would drop down on the 
back of a huge bulfalo-bull, and thus ride out of 
danger. This he did, landing astride of the 
back of an animal that, frightened fearfully, en- 
deavored to throw him off, but in vain. Fortu- 
nately the herd headed in the direction of the 
train-encampment, and as the men ran out to 
secure fresh buffalo meat they saw that one of 
the bulls had a rider, and a crack shot bringing 
the animal down, it was found to be Bill Cody, 
who was then and there christened "Buffalo 
Bill." 

Another account is that when hunting for the 
hands on the Kansas I^acific liailroad he, in one 
season, killed four thousand two hundred and 
eighty buffaloes, and thereby won the title that 
he is known by the world over. 

As a pony-express rider, when fifteen years of 
age, under the famous Alf. Slade, Buffalo Bill 

15 



226 romspert's travels 

won a name as being a rider of marvelous skill 
and endurance, making, on one occasion, a con- 
tinuous ride of three hundred and thirty-two 
miles, and accomplishing the whole distance in 
twenty-two hours, — truly a wonderful feat. 

But it was when he became a scout in the 
army that he made his greatest name; and the 
general officers under whom he has served, and 
those who have served with him, give him the 
credit of being a man of unimpaired skill in 
prairie craft, indomitable courage, a miraculous 
marksman with rifle and revolver, and at all 
times a gentleman. 

K-eceiving only a common-school education, 
Buffalo Bill has since educated himself; for, a 
thorough reader of human nature and close ob- 
server of men and things, he falls naturally into 
the ways of polite society, while, a great reader, 
he has a fund of general information one would 
not believe possible to be attained by a person 
who had led his arduous, busy^ and adventurous 
life. 

Over six feet in height, formed like an Apollo, 
and as handsome as a picture, he is a man to at- 
tract universal attention wherever he goes, to 
which, however, he seems utterly indifferent. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 227 

At the time of the visit of the Grand Duke 
Alexis to the United States, General Sheridan 
selected Buffalo Bill as his guide, and he received 
from the duke a magnificent diamond ring in re- 
turn for his services, and an invitation to visit 
him in Russia, which Mr. Cody says he will one 
day accept. 

Acting also as guide and hunter for numerous 
parties of English noblemen hunting on the 
plains, and also for Mr. James Gordon Bennett, 
J. G. Hecksher, Leonard and Lawrence Jerome, 
Colonel Schuyler Crosby, and other noted Ameri- 
cans, he soon became known as a bona fide front- 
iersman. 

When the late Mr. Frank Leslie made his 
memorable trip to the Pacific coast, Bufl'alo Bill 
w^as his invited guest through the Sierra !N'evada 
Mountains. 

Thus becoming famous through his own deeds, 
Mr. Cody was seized upon as the hero of many 
an "o'er true tale" in the weekly papers, and 
was urged to come to the East and engage in a 
dramatic enterprise, in which he has been suc- 
cessful as an actor, and made a snug fortune. 

As a pistol and rifle shot Mr. Cody has no 
superior ; and his deeds with fire-arms are simply 
miraculous, and must be seen to be believed. 



228 romspert's travels 

At present Mr. Cody resides at ISTorth Plattej, 
itTebraska, where he has a large cattle-ranch, 
which yields him a handsome sum annually, and 
where he is known as a "cattle-king." 

The cause of this great region of the plains 
spreading out treeless and devoid of vegetation 
has been the subject of extravagant conjecture, 
and some queer theories have been advanced. 
Some persons think that it was once covered 
with trees and plants, but was swept over by tire, 
which so thoroughly destroyed all seed and 
roots that there was nothing left to sprout; 
hence the broad, clear range. All persons who 
have been upon the plains will scout all such 
theories, for nothing will grow there if planted. 
The physical condition of this great track is but 
the reasonable eflect of the working of natural 
laws. Bain is all that is required to make the 
desert beam and blossom like the beautiful val- 
leys of the states, though of course it would take 
some years to turn the dry sands into soil. No 
well-informed person wonders why Sahara is a 
desert; and though the region of the plains is 
visited with a few more little showers, and the 
surface is not so sandy, yet the principle is the 
same. What falls from the clouds is but that 



THROUGH THE WEST. 229 

which arises by the process of evaporation from 
the waters below. The evaporation from our 
little inland waters is very limited, that as rain it 
would amount to very few and feeble showers. 
The great oceans, seas, and gulfs that fringe the 
continent are the mighty reservoirs from which 
rise our dews and refreshing showers; and wher- 
ever their moisture is not carried, the effect is 
invariably that of which the great deserts of the 
world, and the mighty plains of America, bear 
testimony to-day. In this case, the distance is 
so great from the waters north and east that 
all the moisture is lost before it reaches the 
prairie-land. It is also a great way from the 
gulf, and to the west the mountain ranges rear 
their cold summits aloof to extract the damp- 
ness from the Pacific breeze. Hence, so loug as 
the broad, open waters roll in their present 
channels, and the hills and valleys remain, the 
American plains will divide the East from the 
West, and their dry surface will glitter in the 
bright, burning sun. It is, nevertheless, an ex- 
cellent stock-range; and judging from the mighty 
herds annually shipped from this great field, it 
appears a necessary pasture-land for the world. 
It appears that the all-designing Providence, in 



230 romspert's travels 

the creation, prepared for the contingencies of 
mankind, and adapted this region to its present 
use, as well as the mountain-sides to the glitter- 
ing diamonds and rusty ores. 

There being so little rain here, there are no 
stagnant waters to poison the air ; and the at- 
mosphere being so dry, substances do not roty 
but simply wither, dry up, and blow away. Car- 
casses will sometimes lie for several years before 
the hide is broken. Tiiere are, consequently, no 
noxious substances to impart their impurities, 
and the air is left perfectly wholesome. The 
buzzard and blow-fly have no putrefying masses 
to hover over, and are consequently not known 
here. Fresh meat can be hung up in the open 
air, without salt, and it will dry out sweet and 
beautiful ; hence, the West for health. For pul- 
monary troubles, this pure, dry atmosphere is 
the balm of life; and there are numbers of healthy 
and happy persons in the West to-day, rejoicing 
and praising the western angel who snatched 
them from the brink of eastern graves. 

But to go back. I said we calculated to go 
into business in the valley for the winter; and so 
we did. Charles turned cow-boy, and stayed at 
the home ranch during the winter; Dave and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 231 

John were employed at the round-house; and, 
seeing a chance to make money yet another way, 
I built a trading-house upon the prairie at the 
end of the railway-section at Granada, where 
stand a few little houses. I stocked with blan- 
kets, rough clothing, hats, boots, flour, corn, to- 
bacco, cigars, etc. A small space was partitioned 
otf at one end for a bar-room, and I hired a 
well-known and influential cow-boy to attend to 
this, not thinking the latter an honorable part of 
my business, to Ohio eyes, but aware that if a 
person wants to sell in any country he must keep 
what the people want to buy ; for otherwise he is 
not patronized. My customers were cow-boys, 
Mexicans, Indians, emigrants, and the few set- 
tlers in the valley. Of course, one would natu- 
rally expect lively times once in awhile, under 
such circumstances ; but I could smell the money 
in the air. 

Myself and my hands were largely acquainted 
with the boys ; and they came in from all direc- 
tions, saying that they wanted to spend their 
money with us. The bar-keeper was admired by 
all the boys; and having great influence over 
them, he seldom had much trouble. I bought 
furs from the Indians and hunters, and realized 



232 romspert's travels 

large profits. Taking strips of bright-colored 
calicoes, I tied them in bunches ; and the Indian 
being great for dashing colors, a few cents' worth 
of calico bought many an Indian fur. They are 
also slaves to tobacco and lohisky ; and it was sel- 
dom they took money away, no matter how 
many furs they brought in. They never wanted 
to sell, but to trade. 

The boys here are very curious about luxuries 
and oddities; and I used to have much sport 
with them. One time I sent to Kansas City for 
a keg of pickled pig's-feet; and when there 
were a good man}^ hoys in I opened it. After 
the boys found that they were good, I sold half 
a keg, at fifteen cents apiece, before I stopped. 
It was amusing to see them running round, each 
with a pig's-foot in his hand. At another time 
I bought a number of large silk neck-ties; and 
after selling one, I sold the whole lot the same 
day for one dollar and seventy-five cents apiece. 
They tied them round their necks, and used 
them for hat-bands. Of course the profits were 
large upon all sales, and I made money fast. 
This was in the winter of 1878-9, — the time of 
the great excitement and emigration to Lead- 
ville, — and being right on the route, from fifty 



THROUGH THE WEST. 233 

to seventy-five wagons daily passed my place for 
a couple of months. The weather was usually 
bad and the traveling hard ; and most every one 
of the outfits needing something in my line, my 
sales ran from seventy-five to one hundred and 
fifty dollars per day for several weeks. I shall 
leave the reader to guess at the margins, and 
only say that we did not deal in nickels. We 
were all now located at the same place, and were 
making money ; and many a fine old time we 
had together in that old Arkansas valley. 

We and several other persons kept a pack of 
greyhounds, and we often went out for a chase. 
When wanting a chase, each boy going would 
saddle a good pony, and, with the hounds 
trained to stay close in the rear, we would ride 
out over the plain, looking cautiously for a flock 
of antelopes, deer, a jack-rabbit, or a wolf. 
When a flock of antelopes or deer is seen, the 
riders take advantage of the hills and ravines 
and get just as close as possible without being 
discovered; then, turning the hounds loose, away 
they go with the speed of the wind. If the 
hounds are well bred, and can be gotten within 
a quarter before beginning the chase, they will 
usually be successful ; otherwise the fleet animals 
are likely to escape. 



234 romspert's travels 

The antelope^ as has been said, is a very vigi- 
lant and spirited animal; and as they bound 
away in the chase they almost baffle the eye. 
They always try to run down hill ; and as they 
seldom run straight very far, the riders can cut 
across and keep near all the time, and often run 
into the flock without going half as far as the 
hounds. A flock of antelopes flying over the 
plain, wnth a pack of hounds close in the rear^ 
and folio w^ed by excited horsemen hallooing and 
flying their hats, is trulj^ a grand sight as well as 
an agreeable sport. The chase is sometimes 
short, and sometimes ten miles long; and I have 
rode among a flock when they w^ere trotting 
slowly along, with mouths wide open, and the 
hounds within ten steps coming slowly along, 
with their great red tongues lolling out. A 
well-bred buck antelope is a little more than the 
average greyhound can overtake. The antelope 
is swifter than the deer. Sometimes a large, 
well-developed jack-rabbit jumps up; and when 
he lays his long ears back upon his neck and 
gets down to his best he goes like the news upon 
a telegraph-wire — only touching the high places 
— and appears like a row of jack-rabbits. He 
can outrun the antelope for a short distance, but 



THROUGH THE WEST. 235 

can not hold out so long. When a large gray 
wolf is started up there is fun. The dogs soon 
overtake him ; but to kill him is another thing. 
I have seen one wolf whip six hounds, and get 
away. Hunters do not like to have their hounds 
tackle a large one, for he cuts them up so. 

The cow-men and homesteaders are often 
visited by their eastern friends, and these chases 
are grand sport for them. I recollect that one- 
time two young fellows came out to visit their 
brother in his little adobe in the valley; and 
learning of the sport, they were overanxious for 
a chase. They asked us to take them out; and 
finding that they were plug- hatted, nickel-plated 
fellows, with lots of conceit, we concluded to 
have some fun. They bragged of their riding 
ability, and being thus relieved of the responsi- 
bility of breaking a couple of tender-foot necks, 
we brought up two spirited ponies used to the 
chase, — and one a professional bucker when he 
took a notion, — and he would often take a notion 
in the heat of the chase. The silk-hats, broad- 
cloth, and kid-gloves glistened in the sunlight^ 
and their heads stuck up through the glazed 
standing-collars; and as we pranced out upon 
the range I could hardly conceal my laughter 



236 



when I thought of the fun to come. All at once 
a powerful jack-rabbit jumped from a bunch of 
grass and sped away like the wind. The hounds 
flashed by and were gone, and the ponies needed 
no urging. In a few hundred yards the man on 
the bucker touched his pony too far back with 
his foot; and Jerusalem! to see that pony buck 
was a caution. The first jump the old plug-hat 
rolled off' over the sand like a cannon-ball upon 
Lookout Mountain, the collar flew open, and the 
breeches burst; the next he was popping a 
foot above the saddle with his coat-tail playing 
in the air like the national flag; and the next he 
was picking himself out of the sand, limping 
around on one leg, pulling up his breeches, wip- 
ing the blood from his nose, and speaking the 
Colorado dialect as nearly as possible, while the 
pony ran off" in the chase. The other kiddy, 
finding that he could not hold his pony, had let 
go the rein and was holding to the saddle- 
horn with his legs spread out like the holy cross, 
and his horse just flying. He ran among the 
hounds; and the rabbit turning short, the pony 
gave one stiff' jump, whirled upon his hind feet, 
aud ran on. The plug-hat flew, the rider scoot- 
ed forward, tearing open his vest and pants upon 



THROUGH THE WEST. 237 

the saddle-horn, and holding around the horse's 
neck with a death-grip. The next turn the 
second kid-glove went scooting his nose in the 
sand and his heels in the air. We saw that they 
were not killed, and ran on. After we had the 
7^abbit we took a hearty laugh, and then caught 
the ponies and went back for the good riders, 
who had stopped to rest. The classic language 
had flown, and they were together brushing off 
their plugs and knocking the sand from their 
ears, and talking in such language that any 
Colorado boy could understand every word they 
said. Well, there was no fun in the chase for 
them, so we went back and the boys *^ set 'em 
np." The stiffening was from their collars, and 
the conceit from their minds; and I'll bet if an 
eastern man tells them that he can ride any Colo- 
rado pony, they will say to themselves, ''He's a 
liar." The ivays of the i^eople and even the horses 
of Colorado have to be learned; and to a fresh 
eastern man it is a big lesson. 

A man and wife by the name of Mills, passing 
here en route for Leadville, being a little short in 
finance, and finding that employment could be 
had at the round-house, concluded to put up in a 
little board shanty that stood near my place, and 



238 romspert's travels 

work a few days. That very night several cow- 
boys carae in, and, as usual, did considerable yel- 
ling and shooting. In the morning, finding six 
bullet-holes through his house, he related his 
night's adventure, apd told how he and his wife 
had propped the doors and then lay behind the 
stove, and said he would not stay in that house 
and run his chances for the whole d n round- 
house. So, taking his outfit, he moved across 
the railroad a half mile down the river, and 
there put up ^ tent for his house. That after- 
noon a few cow-boys came in, and the sheriff 
and two deputies from Las Animas happening to 
be there, a trouble arose and the boys rode out 
and charged upon the house. Firing commenced, 
and the sheriff, with a large needle-gun, shot 
dead one of the ponies^ leaving its rider dis- 
mounted. He ran right down the railroad to- 
ward the ^en^; and in firing after him a bullet 
went through the tent, and several others buzzed 
by. This was too much for the man in the tent, 
and he started back East that very night by the 
light of the moon, lie said if a man could not 
even live in a tent out on the prairie without be- 
ing shot at every day and night, he had enough 
of the West. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 239 

Well, things went on, and toward spring my 
brother came out from Ohio for his health. 
When the fur-season was going out, and the 
Leadville travelers began to drop oft, I sold out 
and began to prepare for a trip into the mount- 
ains. My brother enjoyed the light, pure air 
and western novelties, and decided to go along. 
Another young man named William Gray, from 
Sutton, ;N"ebraska, also decided to go. My old 
camp-outfit was trimmed up, and everything was 
prepared to make the trip a pleasant as well as 
an instructive one. Friend Charles had been 
called home to Ohio by the illness of his father, 
and Dave and John decided to stay in Colorado, 
and not go any farther west. It was quite shock- 
ing to me to think of going on and leaving be- 
hind my old comrades, with whom I had travel- 
ed so many days, and eaten so many meals in 
our little camp up and down through the broad, 
wild West; and especially John, who started 
with me from Ohio, and sat with me upon the 
lonely plains in the bleak winds of winter, and 
sultry breath of summer ; whose tongue parched 
with mine upon the desert, and who fought the 
same hungry pangs — one who had proved him- 
self a noble and gallant companion, and brave in 



240 romspert's travels 

the hour of trial. But it must be done; and after 
giving each other our best advice, we took a 
long good-bye — perhaps forever. 

That parting I shall not forget, 
Though I live to be aged and gray; 

For comrade ties did scarcely let 
Me tear from them away. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 241 



F A.RT II. 

CHAPTER I. 

We Start for the Mountains — Las Animas— Pueblo — Colorado 
Springs — Manitou — Mineral Springs — We Ascend Pike's 
Peak— Balancing Rock— Garden of the Gods— Devil's Hole 
— Return to Manitou. 

At two o'clock P. M. of June 5th, 1879, every- 
thing being in readiness, our little party of three 
bid farewell to our Granada friends and the 
pleasant old tramping-ground and steered our 
course tvestioard, expecting to traverse the beau- 
tiful snow-capped mountains and to gratify our 
long-cherished desires. There could not have 
been a more jolly outfit than ours as we wound 
up the pretty green valley of the Arkansas, wav- 
ing our hats and flirting farewell to our acquaint- 
ances who stood in the narrow doors of their little 
adobe homes. To me it appeared like leaving 
home; and, though cheered by pleasant antici- 
pations, I have no doubt that there was more 
solemnity in the occasion for me than for the 

16 



242 romspert's travels 

rest of the party, who rejoiced while thinking 
of the scenery that yet lay before us. 

We were now traveling upon what is known 
in Fremont's travels as the "Great American 
Desert ; " yet the description given of this coun- 
try by General Fremont nearly half a century 
ago fails to compare with the reality of to-day. 
Though I shall not stop here to question the 
credibility of our able explorer, yet permit me 
to say, by way of explanation, that great phys- 
ical changes often take place, and more espe- 
cially in new countries; and notwithstanding 
Mr. Fremont's description of this part of Colo- 
rado is not correct as of the present, it may have 
been nearer so when Ae, with his daring follow- 
ers, faced the dangers of the savage land and 
matched strength with the red warrior. As 
said before, thie is now the home of the stock- 
raiser; and thousands of cattle may be constantly 
seen grazing on this so-called American desert. 
Here they remain during the twelve months of 
the year, without shelter or an}^ unnatural pro- 
tection, and are compelled to "root, hog, or 
die." If the winter is severe, many of them 
fall victims to the freezing blasts. But this 
being in the month of June, the cattle were in 



THROUGH THE WEST. 243 

fine condition ; and while passing along our at- 
tention was often attracted by their fine appear- 
ance^ which drew forth many suggestions and 
some interesting remarks concerning the subject 
of stock-raising, of which the following is an 
example: "See that fine cow yonder; and look 
what a ^WQ calf she has. That cow and calf 
w^ould be worth seventy-five dollars in Dayton, 
Ohio. What do you think, Will?" "Well," 
said Will, who was always jealous over his na- 
tive state, "we have lots of finer cows than that 
in Nebraska ; and there are calves where I came 
from that are but six weeks old which beat those 
all to pieces." 

Thus passed away the first day of our journey ; 
and when the faint beams of the sinking sun 
were playing upon the tops of the river cotton- 
woods we halted for the night on the green 
banks of the Arkansas. After watering the 
horses and picketing them in the most favorable 
spot for grazing, the new party took its first 
supper in its own camp. 

Our facilities for cooking were somewhat lim- 
ited to those inexperienced in camp-life ; so, of 
course, the duty of getting supper devolved on 
me. Though the boys felt a little adverse to a 



244 romspert's travels 

rough hunter's hands going into the dough, the 
little cloud was soon lifted from their delicacies 
by the sight of an ovenful of large, light, 
brown-topped biscuits, which Will said looked 
as though a N^ebraska baker had made them. 
Our fare, m addition to this, consisted of roast 
potatoes with the hides on, — as cow-boys say, — 
meat, and sirup. The boys ate with a relish; 
and after washing the dishes, — consisting of a 
tin-pan and a knife apiece, — and considerable 
boasting as to who had eaten the most supper, 
and remarks as to how well it tasted^ the blan- 
kets were stretched beneath the green-spreading 
foliage of a little cotton- wood tree, and the little 
party, with but a single blanket between them 
and the earth and a similar covering, lay down to 
dream of the peculiarities of western life. There 
we lay, gazing at the bright, twinkling stars and 
listening to the music of the purple waters of 
the A.rkansas as they rolled over a rocky riffle 
just above, until slumber closed our eyes and 
shut our thoughts from the fields of nature. 

We awoke at the first note of the curious 
little songster among the branches above us; 
and after the boys had related their dreams, we 
all went down to the river. The boys said it 



THROUGH THE WEST. 245 

was the first time they had ever used an Arkan- 
sas wash-basin. Biscuits were then made 
without any objection on the part of the boys. 
Breakfast being ready, we all eat heartily ; and it 
was not long before we were ready to roll up 
the valley to the west. 

But, lo ! one of our horses, which had already 
become tired of the ^r^p, refused to go with us 
any farther; and this caused the necessity of 
drafting a few resolutions, among which was the 
following: "Resolved, That no Colorado pony 
can stop three boys bound for the Rocky Mount- 
ains." This resolution was at length unani- 
mously adopted by us ; and the pony being in 
the minority, the force of the resolution was 
brought to bear upon the only adverse party in 
the shape of a cotton-wood sapling ; and after a 
short debate we once more pushed forward. 

We had not gone far, however, before we 
came to a prairie-dog town ; and the little ani- 
mals, seeing us trespassing within their corpo- 
rate limits, set up such a howling as to attract 
our attention. The little animals would run 
from one burrow to another, stand erect upon 
their hind feet, shake themselves, and dart into 
a hole in the earth, only to return and repeat the 



246 eomspert's travels 

same performance. We had just bought several 
new six-shooters, and Doc. — a name given to my 
brother — thought that here would be a fine place 
to try them. I advised the boys that I thought 
they could not be hit, as I had often seen it tricd^ 
and never saw one killed ; and after several fruit- 
less attempts Doc. concluded they were too quick 
for powder. Turning to Will, — who sat upon 
the wagon during the skirmish, like a Roman 
senator at an amphitheater, — and resolved to 
save his credit as a marksman, he said : " Well^ 
Will, what do you think about this?" "Oh,'' 
said he, " I have shot lots of them in I^ebraska.'^ 

As noon was nearing and the sun shining with 
unveiled splendor upon the sandy plain, the heat 
was intense ; and seeing a small adobe house in 
the distance we at once determined to go there, 
that we might procure some cool, fresh water, 
and stop for dinner. 

The road was smooth and the team fresh, and 
we glided merrily along and came to the little 
town of Las Animas just as the sun was tinging 
with gold the western horizon. There is a gov- 
ernment fort here called Fort Lyon; and after 
conversing awhile with the soldiers we entered 
the town and at once proceeded to the post- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 247 

office, expecting letters from our homes and east- 
ern friends. But unfortunately the mail had not 
yet arrived, and we were compelled to stay 
the next day for the expected news. As this 
little town, consisting of about five hundred in- 
habitants, proved to be quite a lively place, we 
had no trouble in passing away the time. Dur- 
ing the day we conversed with various citizens ; 
and the boys were anxious to hear everything 
that could be learned about the country and in- 
habitants. These conversations proved to be 
very interesting and instructive. We were told 
that we were in Bent County, and that forty 
years ago Mr. Bent lived here alone among the 
little trees upon the river-bank, surrounded by 
wild beasts and savages. They told us of some 
of his daring exploits with the Indians, and 
pointed to the place where once stood his lonely 
hut, which is now mingled with the dust at the 
side of his grave. As he was the first white 
man there the county took his name. 

The latter days of Kit Carson were spent here; 
and his remains are buried near the river-bank, 
about five miles east of Las Animas. We went 
to see the spot, and stood at the grave of him 
who was perhaps more than a peer — in boldness 



248 romspert's travels 

and endurance — of any other who ever reaped 
his livelihood in a wild, savage land. His little 
hut has almost returned to dust, and a little 
mound of debris among the trees tells where the 
daring hunter lived. His grave is near by, and 
naught but a rude, rough rock marks the spot 
where the gallant hero lies. 

Here lives John Prowers, one of the wealthiest 
stock-men in the state. Upon inquiry as to his 
great financial success, w^e were informed that he 
came to Colorado a poor man; that he married 
the daughter of an Indian chief; that at the birth 
of his first issue he received a donation of five 
thousand dollars from his father-in-law, and 
continues to receive this singular gift whenever 
a new member is added to his family. Mr. 
Prowers has at present thirteen children. He 
says he believes in large families and generous 
fathers-in-law. I might here remark that two 
of his children are at present attending college ; 
and it is said that they are apt scholars, and 
intelligent and promising young ladies, not- 
withstanding their Indian mother (who is so 
vrretchedly stupid and homely that nothing but 
the most glittering prospects for a large family 
at five thousand dollars apiece could induce a 



THROUGH THE WEST. 249 

man with the least taste to love). It is said that 
when she and Mr. Prowers were lirst married, 
she used to leave his home and be gone among 
the wild Indians for some weeks at a time before 
returning. 

Well, the day Avas an interesting one for us, 
^and as the darkness gathered we sought oar 
•camp and retired for the night. 

The next day the mail arrived and brought 
the expected news. We at once. read our letters ; 
and after some comment as to what our eastern 
friends would think could they see us in camp, 
and what they would do under like circumstan- 
ces, etc., etc., we left Las Animas to take care of 
itself, and resumed our journey. K'othing de- 
serving of comment occurred during the day. 
Suffice it to say that our team had a good rest, 
and we glided along over the plain at a good 
speed, occupying the time by singing songs and 
telling stories. 

The next day three antelopes appeared at the 
distance of half a mile, and we aimed our big 
rifles at them. The distance was so great, how- 
ever, that it could not be jiulged by the eye; and 
before we could get the range by experiment 
{watching where the balls struck in the sand). 



250 



the animals dashed away. Will did not try his 
skill, but said that he had killed antelopes at 
more than a mile distant in IN'ebraska. 

We were now in sight of the long looked-for 
mountains; and although yet nearly one hun- 
dred miles distant, their beautiful snow-caps 
shone plainly in the bright sunlight. As this 
was in the heat of June, and the scorching sun 
was beating heavily upon us, we felt delighted 
to see snoiOj and. imagined how cool and splendid 
it would be to sit upon the mountain-top, and 
what fun it would be to snow-ball in the month 
of June. 

A few days later and we came into the city of 
Pueblo. This is a place of about three thousand 
inhabitants, and situated at the western termi- 
nus of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. 
We found out that there was to be a good theater 
at the hall that night ; so we made haste to get 
supper, after which we changed our suits and at 
once repaired to the scene of action. The play 
was "Ten Nights in a Bar Room." I tell you it 
was a real play, too, — there was no fiction about 
it, — for the hall was a perfect bar room; and I 
am sure the actors had been there at least ten 
nights, and not long absent in the day-time* 



THROUGH THE WEST. 251 

Well, I had seen so much of this that it was to 
me an old thing ; but to the hoys it was rather 
exciting. This place is situated among the hills 
and low mountains ; and while it is not large, 
and does not promise to he so, it is very enter- 
prising, and everything is lively. And there are 
some very good citizens living here. Of course 
everything is high ; though a very good meal 
can be had for fifty cents. It is a wholesale 
place for many mining-camps and stock-firms, 
as well as a supply-camp for the many emigrants 
who are constantly going into the mountains. 
In the winter season, when the mines are block- 
ed with snow, many of the miners come down 
here to board until the season comes round 
again. They usually have considerable money; 
and though a great deal of it is gamhled away, 
the hotel men do very well, — for they are the 
gamblers, — and there are several fine houses 
here. 

To stand upon a high bluff north of town just 
before sunrise on a clear, bright morning in the 
summer-season, when the breath of the town is 
warm, and look out in the distance upon Pike's 
Peak, which rears its snow-summit among 
the little cumuli, looking like the crowned 



252 romspert's travels 

king of the greenhorns with his white mantle 
upon him, and see the long range extending far 
to the north and south upon either side, with a 
trail of snow upon its crest, the beauty of mount- 
ain scenery appears in all its perfection. When 
the wind comes from that direction, the breeze 
brings with it the mountain breath ; and oh, how 
lovely ! Persons taking their first view of the 
mountains from this place are, without exception, 
greatly struck with the grandeur, and are anxious 
to rove among the snow-limbed pines. We were 
not exceptions, either ; and after supplying our- 
selves with the necessaries, we pushed off toward 
the beautiful and attractive scenery. We were 
told before leaving Pueblo that the distance to 
the peak was sixty-live miles ; but before we had 
completed our hrst day's journey we concluded 
that we were misinformed. The distance ap- 
peared very short ; and we fully expected that at 
an early hour the next day we could be ascend- 
ing the mountain-side. The next morning we 
arose early, and casting our eyes westward we 
beheld the towering, silver-tipped mount in such 
grandeur as to far surpass our first view ; and we 
saw the power and beauty of nature in a single 
scene. We then for the first time fully realized 



THROUGH THE WEST. 253 

that to view mountain scenery in its super- 
lative aspect, it must be done from the east- 
ern side, and just before sunrise. We all 
began to estimate as to how far we had to 
travel before reaching the object of our attrac- 
tion. I — though used to the jprairie — thought 
the distance about five miles, Will about ten, 
while Doc. offered to bet any amount that it 
was not over three miles, and that he could 
walk over there in an hour. Soon after we 
journeyed on, each feeling confident that a 
few hours' travel would prove his judgment as 
to distance. Presently, however, a man came 
riding by ; and each of us being eager to know 
who had guessed the nearest to the distance, I 
inquired of the rider, whom we expected would 
know the distance to a certainty. To our o-reat 
disappointment and surprise, he responded, "Just 
forty-five miles." Certainly this appeared very 
unreasonable; for nothing was plainer than that 
the peak was just by our very side; and we could 
plainly see the little pines and cedars upon its 
side. We were asked to not believe our own 
eyes. We found, however, that we were rightly 
informed. Such is the deception which the in- 
experienced are often bound to meet in this 



254 



strange country. This deception arises partly 
from the immensity of the object, but more espe- 
cially from the atmosphere, which in this country 
is very dry and clear ; for the less dense the at- 
mosphere, the greater the distance of vision. 

The next day we came into the beautiful little 
town of Colorado Springs. The reader would 
naturally infer that from the name given to the 
place we were now really at the springs so 
often mentioned by the tourist ; but really they 
are situated five miles west of here, and I shall 
have occasion to speak of them hereafter. 

It was now the Sabbath-day, and we concluded 
to remain here until the morrow. After select- 
ing a suitable spot upon which to camp, we 
changed our suits and were soon wending our 
way through the streets toward the little Pres- 
byterian church. Here, although entire stran- 
gers, we were at once directed to the most com- 
fortable seats, and were regarded with so much 
respect by the citizens that we again made a 
similar visit in the evening. 

We were now within five miles of the base of 
the mountain already referred to ; and as morn- 
ing came and twilight dawned upon our little 
camp, all were busy preparing to complete the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 255 

distance to the object which stood so majestic- 
ally towering before us, with our minds fully 
absorbed with thoughts of climbing its rocky 
sides and standing upon its cool, snowy summit. 

Before leaving here I desire to say a few 
words by way of description of this pretty little 
place. The town — the population of which is 
about six thousand souls — is situated on the 
Denver & Kio Grande Eailway. It is neatly 
laid oft" in perfect squares, the streets all being 
of the same width. Along either side of each 
street are rows of beautiful, thrifty trees, which 
almost meet their heads over the passway, ren- 
dering them cool and delightful; while the 
water rolls in cool, crystal streamlets at either 
side of every street. The buildings are all re- 
markably neat ; and there are two or three very 
large and magnificent hotels, with all modern 
improvements and conveniences. Take it all in 
all, Colorado Springs is certainly the most beau- 
tiful place we had ever seen. But as I do not 
wish to weary the reader with long and tedious 
descriptions, I must hasten to future events. 

When we arrived within half a mile of the 
famous springs we camped among the bushes on 
the bank of a little stream that flowed down 



256 romspert's travels 

from among the mountains, in order that our 
team might have loater and good pasture. We 
then proceeded the rest of the way on foot. 

Our attention was attracted by the many ve- 
hicles passing to and fro, — some very fine car- 
riages drawn by beautiful matched teams. On 
closer observation we found that the passengers 
were usually lying in beds prepared for the pur- 
pose, and apparently sleeping. On inquiry, we 
learned that these were invalids; and as they 
were unable to occupy any other posture, on ac- 
count of physical weakness, they were taking 
their exercise in that way. Here might be seen 
numbers of such invalids from all parts of the 
Union. They are usually affected with pulmonary 
disease, and consequently come here to breathe 
the pure mountain-air and to drink of nature's 
healing fountains. 

The springs are situated in a deep hollow near 
the base of the peak; and three splendid hotels^ 
with a few dwellings, a livery-stable, a grocery, 
etc., constitute the town of Manitou, the asylum 
of the afflicted, with whom the large hotels are 
often crowded. 

Well, we first came to the sulphur spring ; but 
after tasting its water — which proved to be not 



THROUGH THE WEST. 257 

very palatable — we proceeded to the next, 
which we found to be soda-water. There is a 
beautiful polished rock, about six feet square 
and quite thick, carved out like a basin and 
placed over this spring, to receive the clear, cool 
waters that constantly bubble up through the 
silver-sand. We had yet one spring to visit, 
and this was the iron-spring; so, after seeing it 
and tasting of its waters, I told the boys that I 
had now tasted all of them, and that I preferred 
water without mineral. Will suggested that it 
might be like beer — it does not taste so well at 
first, but it does not take long to get used to it. 
Doc. thought that the greatest objection was, the 
springs were half a mile from camp, and a mile 
would be a long way to go every time a fellow 
wanted a drink. So he accordingly procured a 
little brown jug; and after it was filled we 
started back for camp. We had not gone far 
when of a sudden the cork flew forcibly from 
the jug; and striking Will on the most promi- 
nent feature of his face, it brought forth a few 
strains of Colorado eloquence. Here Will set 
the jug down and positively refused to carry it 
farther; "for," said he, "if the rest of you want 
to run the risk of drinking that water, all right. 

17 



258 romspert's travels 

But I don't calculate to take any chances; for 
who knows but what the blamed stuft* might 
blow a fellow up?" 

We spent some days wandering up and down 
the lovely passes and sitting beneath the little 
trees on the brinks of the clear springs from 
whose waters we daily drew. To attempt to de- 
scribe this place as it really is would be under- 
taking an impossibility ; for the beautiful green 
slopes of the surrounding mountains, upon 
which the tasteful hand of Providence has 
planted her most lovely pines, the great silver- 
topped monument to the west that rears its 
head far above the clouds as if to call down the 
blessing of Heaven upon the pools below and 
guiding the afflicted to the fountain of life, the 
little springs away up in the bluffs that send 
their clear, icy waters rippling down the mount- 
ain-sides among the pretty trees, are all too 
'perfect and beautiful for the human hand to imi- 
tate or the mind to imagine. 

The medicinal qualities of the springs, too, are 
very great ; for many persons who reached their 
green brinks exhausted, emaciated, and pale as 
death have felt new strength at the first draught, 
and in a few weeks the thin form, with the slow, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 259 

faint pulse, is as a new person, and the color is 
seen coming to the cheek. 

The cool breath of the mountain, which con- 
stantly kisses this little paradise during even the 
sultry months of summer, together with the 
beautiful surrounding scenery, are alone enough 
to delight the heart, banish the dull feeling of 
affliction, and tune the aching heart with health 
and happiness. 

The large, fine hotels at this 2)lace and at Colo- 
rado Sjmyigs are principally occupied by invalids 
who come with fortunes ; while there are hun- 
dreds of wagons standing among the trees, with 
tents by their sides, in which they stay who come 
with spare frames and sparer fortunes. I have 
gone among these many wagons ; and while I 
found some comfortably located, with all neces- 
saries and conveniences, I also found some 
wretched families, with scarcely enough to eat 
and not sufficient clothing to hide their wasted 
frames. Some are stretched upon miserable 
couches, with the shades of death upon their 
countenances. Medical skill has broken the 
feeble means, but life continues to waste ; and 
now, with the last few cents, they come to drink 
of the free fountain of Nature. I have often 



260 romspert's travels 

thought, aa I saw so many afflicted gathered 
round these wells, of the healing waters of 
which the Bihle speaks, which the angel came 
down to trouble. While there are deaths now 
and then, a greater portion of the invalids go 
away mended. 

Besides afflicted persons, there are many 
wealthy families who come here to recuperate 
and spend the summer-season. They usually 
lodge at Colorado Springs, and take their daily 
rides down to Manitou fountains, — often in 
the finest vehicles, with beautifully matched 
teams, which are kept for this purpose. What 
a contrast between these hale, hardy persons, 
who are rolling in luxury and happiness, and 
those fever-racked invalids in the little tents on 
the hill-side. 

The water is very unpalatable ; and though a 
person can not drink more than a swallow or 
two at first, by sipping at it daily it will at 
length taste very well, and can be drank freely. 
The soda-s])ring is used the most, though the 
others are best in many cases — according to the 
complaint. 

Here is the place, sick friends, to drink ; 
For the angel of life stands on the brink. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 261 

We were all very anxious to ascend Pike's 
Peak; but upon inquiry we found it to be thir- 
teen miles from Manitou to the summit, and 
was usually ascended by burroes (donkeys), 
which were kept there for that purpose. Ac- 
cordingly, arrangements were made for starting 
the next day. Before the appointed time we 
went among the long-eared herd which was soon 
to take us up the mountain -side, each one won- 
dering which one would be selected for his seat, 
and how the ugly things would ride anyhow. 
Here we learned that four other tourists were to 
accompany us — this increasing our number to 
eight, including the driver. At the appointed 
hour the saddles were placed upon these little 
samsons, and without halter or bridle we mount- 
ed for the trip. Will remarked as he mounted 
that the people in ^N'ebraska always rode with 
bridles, and that he thought it a very poor way 
anyhow to place your life within the power of a 

d d jackass. A loud yell from the driver, 

and the herd started forward. As the road was 
not unusually rough for a montainous country, 
nor the ascent very steep, we got along very 
well the first mile; but then the road became 
very rough. And so steep was the ascent that 



262 romspert's travels 

often the little creatures that carried us stood al- 
most perpendicular upon their hind feet, and the 
path was so narrow that we had to go single file* 
Thus we went on, the driver remaining in the 
rear, applying a great whip to the burroes with- 
out mercy whenever necessity required it. At 
the expiration of about three hours we came to 
the half-way house, and halted to partake of 
some refreshments and to warm by the fire, as 
the air was getting cool. Soon the driver an- 
nounced the time to start on, and we remounted^ 
We were now above timher-llne ; and nothing 
appeared before us but the bald and rugged 
mountain. On we went, winding our course 
among the huge rocks and up the gorges until 
we arrived at such an elevation that breathing 
became difficult, and one of our companions be- 
gan bleeding at the nose. Here our new com- 
panions announced their inability to go any far- 
ther; and they proceeded at once upon the re- 
turn. After bidding them good-by, we, to- 
gether with the guide, pushed forward, deter- 
mined to stand upon Pike's Peak, or find that it 
was impossible to do so. As we ascended the 
air continued to grow lighter, and afiected our 
breathing considerably ; but we were now near- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 263 

ing the summit, and being so absorbed with 
glowing thoughts of standing upon the great 
peak, we still went on, uttering no word of com- 
plaint. At length we arrived upon the summit. 
The dutiful little creatures swung their long ears 
back and forth as though they felt as glad as we. 
Here we were, fourteen thousand feet above the 
level of the sea, far above all surrounding ob- 
jects, and naught but the horizon to bound our 
vision. There is here a United States signal- 
station; and the officer lives in a little stone 
house. He says that he stays here the year 
round, going down to the valley now and then ; 
and Indians never bother him. He says that 
the elevation does not affect him much, as he 
had become somewhat used to the light air. 
Upon inquiry concerning the weather, he told 
us that he was sometimes visited by violent 
thunder-storms; and the lightning played upon 
the mountain-top, at times ingulfing him in 
electric fire and rocking his little house. Dense 
clouds of vapor hung around the mountain far 
below, and we fully realized that we were indeed 
above the clouds. After descending we learned 
that while we were upon the summit, with the 
sun brightly shining above our heads and the 



264 romspert's travels 

snow glittering beneath our feet, a line loarm 
shower was falling from the clouds into the val- 
ley below. After having enjoyed the novelty of 
wading snow-banks in the summer-season to our 
satisfaction, we were ready to descend. So, with 
many happy wishes for our mountain friend, we 
began to go down. This, however, was not very 
jyleasant; for every step the burro made he jerked 
his rider severely. Will remarked that he did 
not mind riding donkeys as long as they stood 
on their hind feet; but he could not go it when 
they stood on their heads. It is certainly re- 
markable to see these small animals carrying 
more than their own weight upon their backs; 
and, notwithstanding the steepness and rough- 
ness of the road, they seldom lose their footing, 
— though I once saw one descending a steep 
bluff with a load upon his back that made him 
groan, and losing his footing, he tumbled down 
the mountain and dashed his life out upon the 
rocks in the gully below. They have proved 
to be of great service in mountain regions; and 
hundreds of them are daily climbing and de- 
scending their rocky sides. 

In due time our party arrived safely at Mani- 
tou — the trip having cost us just five dollars 



THROUGH THE WEST. 265 

apiece. We had now seen and experienced the 
changes in the atmosphere from the lovely val- 
ley below, to the mountain-top far above the 
clouds. We had gone in one day from where 
the air was perfumed with the odor of sweet, 
tinted blossoms and flowers, to the land of snow- 
banks where vegetation did not grow. We had 
seen the tall, graceful pines dwindle to low, 
dwarfy shrubbery, and then give way to the 
cold, bare mountain. It was a lesson — a prac- 
tical and instructive one. We now felt consid- 
erably exhausted, which we manifested by re- 
tiring an hour earlier than usual. We felt a little 
sore the next morning, but were soon as nimble 
as ever. It usually takes between live and six 
hours to ascend, and between four and five to 
descend ; and many persons can not stand it to 
go up at all. The trip should not be made in 
one day. 

W e had now been here some days ; and though 
it seemed to us a life-time could be spent in this 
beautiful valley, we were compelled to leave for 
other scenes. 

The Garden of the Gods, so often spoken of 
by the tourist as a pretty place, we learned was 
but two miles off; and we concluded to visit this 



266 romspert's travels 

natural curiosity. The road to the garden 
wound like a serpent among the rugged, rocky 
mountains, and with much difficulty we passed 
along. It was not long before we came to a 
curious object. It was the wonderful balancing 
rock. This huge stone, weighing many tons, 
rests upon another stone with a foundation 
of but about a foot. It is apparently just bal- 
anced, and looks as though it could be tilted by 
little power. It is a wonder; and we gazed 
upon it with interest. The road ran by its side, 
and it appeared to be somewhat risky to drive 
by. Will said he would go and throw it over; 
and he was soon seen with his shoulder against 
the mountain of stone, fully believing himself 
able to overbalance the rock. But his strength 
was not a mite to what was required, and he gave 
it up. I found that there was no danger, and 
drove by in safety. Another mile among the 
brush and rocks, where the trail of the mountain- 
goat was fresh, and we passed between two gigan- 
tic natural pillars of stone, and opened into a 
level, lovely valley, about six hundred yards in 
length and two hundred in breadth, richly car- 
peted with soft, green grass. Surrounding it 
were towering rocks of red granite some three 



THROUGH THE WEST. 267 

hundred and thirty-seven feet high, and of all 
shapes, — some of them presenting a grotesque 
though beautiful appearance. Occasionally there 
might be seen a little grass-spot, with here and 
there a bush, away up in the mountain crevices, 
among which sported the birds of gaudy plum- 
age, singing their sweet songs of glee. The 
little conies sported here and there from rock to 
rock, and the mountain-sheep, with their long 
snowy coats, stood far up among the bluffs look- 
ing shyly upon us ; and we sat viewing the sur- 
rounding curiosities. How appropriate the 
name " Garden of the Gods ! " We camped 
here for the night at the foot of what is known 
to the tourist as the perpendicular rocks. Up 
in the mountain just outside the garden was a 
pretty little lake of clear water, and taking a 
bucket I started up with the team to water them 
and bring some to camp. Will, being much at- 
tracted by the scenery^ at once began climbing 
the rocks, expecting to arrive at an elevation 
from which to obtain a more extensive view of 
the surroundings, while Doc. remained at the 
wagon loading shells for our rifles. Scarcely 
had I arrived at the lake when I became startled 
by the cries of Will, who was now rushing, roll- 



268 eomspert's travels 

ing, and tumbling down the mountain toward 
the wagon, yelling out, " Bear, bear ! " I hast- 
ened to the wagon, and, seizing my big rifle, 
started to the rescue. Doc. had already arrived; 
but the terrified Will rushed down the gorge 
like an arrow, with his hat in one hand and his 
gun in the other, not noticing us nor slackening 
his speed until he was safely in the wagon -bed ; 
and he did not stop his noise until he was tired 
out. We struck bruin's trail in the sand and 
followed it for some distance, and at length 
caught sight of him ; but before I could salute 
him with a rifle-ball he entered a dark cave 
among the mighty rocks. We went to the 
mouth and dared him out; but he did not come, 
and we had good reasons for not going in. He 
was a medium-sized black bear, and looked as 
though he might be a pretty good squeezer. The 
chase was now ended, and after procuring a few 
specimens of rock we went to camp. Will had 
quieted down, and upon our making fun of him 
and asking him why he did not shoot the bear, he 
said that it was so rough up among the rocks to 
skin an animal, and so far down to the wagon to 
carry the meat, that he thought the bear would 
follow him right into camp, where he would 



THROUGH THE WEST. 269 

kill him and have it handy. The scheme would 
have appeared very plausible could he have ex- 
plained that infernal yelling. Presently, upon 
looking upward, we saw a mountain-squirrel 
skipping about among the rocky ledges ; and as 
the sharp report of a six-shooter rang out upon 
the evening breeze, we were delighted to know 
that we were to have rich squirrel-soup for sup- 
per. Night soon came on, and the blankets 
were spread for retiring. But Will was excited, 
and said that he did not calculate to take his 
chances of going to sleep in a place where the 
bears were sticking among the rocks, and pan- 
thers and wild cats were working their scratchers 
out and in, practicing for a grab, while rattle- 
snakes w^ere looking out at us from every little 
bunch of grass; "for," said he, "the devil knows 
what may happen, and no one be awake to see 
it." I felt very sure that Will would not sleep 
much that night; and knowing that if he saw 
danger he would make noise enough to awaken 
us and alarm even bruin himself, — as he did be- 
fore, — WQ concluded to retire as usual, taking 
the precaution, however, to picket the horses 
close to camp, as they readily scent strange 
animals and snort ; and this was also a guard. 



270 romspert's travels 

In the morning after breakfast we took a 
short ramble, looking at the many curiosities 
and natural beauties in and around this lovely 
green pass. Hundreds of names are carved or 
written upon the rocks here; and the names of 
Miller and Llewellen are painted in large letters 
upon the very crest of a rock several hundred 
feet high. The side upon which the names are 
written is as perpendicular as though it had been 
hewed down by human design ; and it is also 
very steep on the other side, where the parties 
must have climbed up and then leaned over in 
the swimming space to write. It must have re- 
quired great labor to get there ; and nothing but 
a burning, ambitious desire to be where man had 
never been, — and where so few could go, — could 
have led these men to climb so far in the air and 
register their names upon the very margin of the 
death-register; for if, in climbing, the foot or 
hand hold had given way, the body would have 
been precipitated to the level without hope. 

Glory is sought in curious places, 
Over land and on the sea ; , 

But these were ii^ faintest traces — 
So at least it seemed to me. 

We were not as full of adventure as they ; so 
we cut our names in the base of a smooth, red 



THROUGH THE WEST. 271 

rock that towered far above us and came to a 
point like a spire. 

While working here we noticed a small hole 
at the bottom of the same rock, just large 
enough for a man to crawl through ; and upon 
examination we found that it w^as the entrance 
to a cave. The hole was smooth, and looked as 
though it had been used. It took some time to 
convince Will that the hear he had seen could 
not get in there. But at length we all concluded 
to enter the dark dungeon ; so, after arming our- 
selves, we took a lantern and a few tallow can- 
dles and crawled in. After going but a few feet 
we could stand erect ; and then, each w^ith a light 
in his hand, we penetrated the cavern, which ran 
into the body of the solid rock. It was twenty 
feet high and ten feet wide, and so ascending 
that we were obliged to crawl upon our hands 
and knees as we proceeded. The floor was cov- 
ered with dust from the rocks ; and in this we 
could see many tracks, some imitating the wild 
cat and the panther. We did not know what we 
might come in contact with ; but being full of 
curiosity we crawled on until we came to the 
end, which was fully twenty yards from the en- 
trance. Here a small stream of water gushed 



272 romspert's travels 

forth from the side of the cavern, and, after run- 
ning a short way, terminated in a small pool 
worn in the rocky floor, from which it sunk un- 
perceived away. We tasted the water, and 
found it cool and pure; and in the lamp- 
light it glittered like crystal. We now de- 
scended to the entrance, and looking carefully 
at the wall we found several names cut there, 
apparently some years since ; and we registered 
there also, and then made our exit. 

We had now seen all the curiosities of this 
beautiful garden, and prepared to leave. It is 
only possible to travel through the rugged 
mountains by way of the natural passes ; and 
we were compelled to go out by the balancing 
rock — the way we entered. The road was rough 
and narrow ; but we passed along, conversing of 
the great beauties of nature, and at sunset we 
stopped for the night upon our old camping- 
ground near Manitou. 

During the evening we had conversations with 
several persons familiar with the surrounding 
country ; and they gave a glowing account of the 
South Park, representing it to be a beautiful, 
open country, lying just over the Green Horn 
range, about forty-five miles from Manitou, and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 273 

that it abounded with deer, antelope, elk, etc., 
and that a large hear had been killed but a few- 
days before among the South Park pines. We 
were also informed that this was a favorite 
hunting-ground, and that small bands of Indians, 
who claimed the ground, were constantly wan- 
dering through the park in search of game ; and 
considering white hunters trespassers, they often 
gave them much trouble. I had already seen 
many of the red race, could speak many words 
in their own tongue, and had become so used to 
their appearance that the quills and plumes did 
not scare me much ; and the boys being delight- 
ed to hear of a country which afibrded an op- 
portunity to try their new guns, we determined 
to visit the place, notwithstanding a little 
danger. 



18 



274 



CHAPTER II. 

start for South Park— Ute Pass— Rainbow Falls— South Park 
— Bear Fight — Leadville — Sallie Ray— Chimney Gulch — 
Trout-Fishing— Denver— Cheyenne— Black Hills — Bitter 
Creek— Antelope Springs— Wolf Adventure— Green River 
— Old Emigrant Road — Echo Canon— Utah — Park City — 
Ontario Mine — Quartz-Mill — Kinds of Mines— Prospecting 
—Start for Salt Lake. 

The next morning we rose at the dawn of day, 
and after breakfast we filled our jug with soda- 
water and journeyed for South Park. There 
was but one accessible route from this place in 
that direction, and that was up through the fa- 
mous Ute Pass. 

We had gone about a mile up the pass when 
we came to the Rainbow Falls, to the left of the 
narrow road. The waters of a mountain stream 
roll over a precipice one hundred feet high ; and 
as it dashes over the rough, projecting crags and 
is lashed into foam against the rocky sides, its 
roaring can be heard far up and down the pass. 
During the forenoon in summer the sun reaches 
this place, and, striking the crystal waters as 



THROUGH THE WEST. 275 

they roll over a certain large rock, a most perfect 
and beautiful rainbow, with brightest tints, is 
reflected upon the rocks at the side of the 
chasm. Hence the name, "Kainbow Falls." 
Tourists to Manitou are usually taken up here 
on burros. 

The walls on either side of the pass were a 
couple of hundred feet high, and at some places 
almost met over our heads ; and the gorge was 
so narrow that there were but few places where 
wagons could pass. It appears as though an all- 
wise Hand had hewed out this pass with an ex- 
press design ; for there would be no other possi- 
ble way by which these rugged and towering 
mountains could be crossed. Though the way 
was yet rough and steep, we greatly appreciated 
our privilege. 

It was now necessary for one of us to go on 
ahead to give the proper warning to outfits com- 
ing down the pass ; and though we had traveled 
but about fifteen miles it was dark when we 
came to the top of the range, and our horses 
were much fatigued ; and having walked all the 
way ourselves to lighten the load, we also felt 
much worried, not being used to mountain 
travel. So as soon as the horses were properly 



276 romspert's travels 

cared for and supper was over, we at once pre- 
pared our couches and lay down to sleep on the 
cold crest of the Green Horn range, at an eleva- 
tion of ten thousand feet above the sea. The 
night was very cool; but we were among the 
pines, and building a good, warm fire, we slept 
quite comfortably. 

We had just laid down when the horses set 
up such a snorting as to plainly indicate that 
something strange was nearing our camp. 
Quickly buckling on our belts and snatching 
our rifles we ran into the darkness, and crawling 
cautiously in the direction indicated by the 
frightened animals, we lay flat, awaiting the ap- 
proach of some wild animal, or thinking that 
perhaps Indians were lurking* around the camp 
watching for our team. Presently the rustle of 
a chain was heard, and Will excitedly growled 
out: "Boys, the devil's got us this time; he has 
his chain along." Soon the object could be seen 
slowly moving toward us, and from its appear- 
ance I was slow to contradict Will's assertion. 
However, as it came nearer we found it to be a 
burro, with a chain to its neck. This little creat- 
ure had probably strayed from its owner, or 
perhaps escaped from a massacred outfit, and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 277 

not wishing to be alone had come to our camp 
by the fire-light. After scouting around camp a 
short distance, we again lay down. 

The next morning, though in the heart of 
summer, the water that we had left in a bucket 
was frozen so hard that it could hardly be broken 
with the hand. Taking an early start we re- 
newed our journey. 

We were yet about thirty miles from the park; 
but being now upon the top of the ridge, and 
the rest of the road descending all the way, we 
expected to camp in sight of the park that 
night. Instead of walking all the way, as the 
day before, we could now have the satisfaction 
of riding at least part of the way. We were 
not used to such hills; and we soon concluded 
that it was easier to go up-hill than down. The 
road was in some places so steep that we had to 
lock all the wheels and tie a locr in front of the 
hind wheels, and then tie ropes to the wagon 
and hold back besides, to assist the horses in 
their descent. It was very tiresome; but we 
went down pretty rapidly, and at sunset we 
camped by a little spring that nestled beneath a 
large rock in sight of the great South Park. 

The next morning we went down into the 
park in search of a good place to camp. In a 



278 romspert's travels 

mile or two we came to a little stream, and after 
following its meauderings a few hundred yards 
we found it bubbling from a beautiful spring at 
the foot of a high bluff. The whole surround- 
ing was carpeted with richest pasturage; and 
now having the two most necessary elements for 
the forming of a first-class camp, namely, water 
and pasture, we concluded to stop here while 
hunting through the park. 

The description given us of this valley was 
not in the least exaggerated; for it would be 
difficult to imagine a more delightful place. 
One does not appreciate a pretty valley until he 
has climbed around awhile among the rough, 
barren mountains where the wild goat harbors; 
and then when he comes from the rocky cliff 
into an opening like this, several miles in length 
and a half mile broad, the floor almost level and 
richly carpeted, dotted here and there with little 
quakenasp groves, among which the fountains 
head and send their crystal streams down the 
pretty green slopes, he sees it in its fullness, and 
justifies the name "park," or even paradise. 

We looked upon the surroundings and were 
delighted; and we congratulated ourselves upon 
our good fortune in having the opportunity to 
behold this beautiful garden of nature. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 279 

Having been warned of the Indians, our first 
work was to prepare a little fort for a retreat, 
should it be necessary. There were several trees 
that had been blown up by the roots lying close 
to camp ; and cutting these into logs w^e rolled 
them in shape and made quite a fort. Will was 
now left here while Doc. and myself started out 
through the park in search of meat for supper. 

After roving around for some time, viewing 
the pretty valley and looking for game, we 
caught sight of a herd of deer ; but being too 
far off we did not shoot, and disappearing in a 
quakenasp grove they were not seen again. 

We were already quite a distance from camp ; 
and as the sun was fast disappearing behind the 
mountains, we now felt the necessity of retrac- 
ing our steps. On nearing camp. Doc. succeeded 
in killing a large jack-rabbit; and this, with 
some nice biscuits, was our supper. 

The shades of night had now gathered, and 
we prepared to retire. The horses were brought 
near camp, and driving the large iron picket- 
pins deeply into the earth, they were firmly fast- 
ened, lest they should break loose and escape 
should anything extraordinary occur. The fire 
was now extinguished, that no enemy would be 



280 romspert's travels 

directed by it to our carap; and we lay down 
within our little fort to sleep. N'ature could not 
have formed a more beautiful night. The sky 
was thickly studded with stars, and not a cloud 
was to be seen. The zephyrs softly and noise- 
lessly fanned the valley, and but one noise could 
be heard — that was the sweet murmur of the 
little brook which rippled among the roots and 
pebbles by the very side of our bed. We for the 
first time felt lonely, and realized that the music 
of nature is sweet. Soon our eyes were closed 
in slumber; and without even a dream to disturd 
us, we slept sweetly until morn. 

We ate a hearty breakfast, — which was chiefly 
the rich, delicious flesh of the antelope, — and 
then concluded to make another hunting-expe- 
dition, similar to the one the day before. Our 
belts were filled with cartridges, and our six- 
shooters and knives were buckled about us; and 
taking our big rifles, we left Will in camp as 
usual, and went oft' down the park. We came 
to a stream that rolled down the mountain-side 
among the thick pines ; and knowing that deer 
kept in the thickets during the day, coming out 
night and morning to eat in the clear valleys, we 
concluded to follow this stream up the mountain. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 281 

^^e caught sight of game on several occasions ; 
but the tirr.ber was so dense that we could not 
see it until frightened, and we arrived at the 
mountain-top at twelve o'clock without making 
a successful shot. I now sought a clear place; 
and climbing upon a huge rock I placed the 
field-glass to my eyes, and looking down over 
the tree-tops into the valley below I could 
plainly see our camp. The horses were quietly 
grazing near by, and Will, from his position at 
the fire, was probably getting dinner. As every- 
thing seemed quiet, we felt no uneasiness con- 
cerning camp ; and being bat about four or five 
miles therefrom, we started over the opposite 
side of the mountain. We soon came to a small 
crystal lake; and for the first time since enter- 
ing the park we saw Indian signs. There were 
many tracks upon the brink of the lake; and 
some being quite fresh, we were convinced that 
we came but a little too late for company. Sev- 
eral small canoes were floating loosely upon the 
water, and we supposed them to be used merely 
as pleasure-boats ; for as the lake was about one 
hundred yards in diameter, they could be of but 
little use in travel. A boat-ride in the wild 
mountains is a rarity, and Indian or no Indian, 



282 



ROMSPERT S TRAVELS 




THE MOUNTAIN LAKE. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 



283 



we concluded to have a boat-ride right there. 
So stepping aboard, I plied the rude oars, and 
we shot over the lake. It was fine sport, and 
we felt pretty good over a free boat-ride. After 
the first excitement had worn off", we began to 
consider our position. We were rowing the 
Indian's canoe upon his own waters, and if seen 
by him would be considered trespassers ; and at 
that very moment the eagle-eyes might be watch- 
ing us from the surrounding pine-thickets. 
Though we did not care a darn for the trespass, 
we fully realized our helpless position in case of 
an attack, so we pulled for the shore. 

Half of the afternoon had already passed away, 
and feeling pretty good over the boat-ride, we 
started for camp. About an hour before sunset 
we came to a very rugged part of the mountain, 
and feeling considerably wearied we sat down 
upon a log to rest. While looking around at 
the pretty scenery, we saw a small woolly animal 
lying in the leaves at the foot of the tree upon 
which we sat. It was apparently asleep ; and ap- 
proaching it cautiously we got within a few 
steps of it, when it discovered us and sprung to 
its feet. It was a cub bear. We rushed upon it, 
captured it, and concluded to take it to camp 



284 romspert's travels 

alive. The little fellow kept up a continuous 
growling and snapping; and after finding itself 
completely overpowered it uttered a loud, pierc- 
ing cry, which was answered by a terrific roar 
just behind us in the bushes. Doc. said we had 
played h 1 now ; and turning around we be- 
held two large grizzly bears, with roach up and 
froth on their lips, rush out of the bushes but 
a -few rods away, and with angry snarls were 
coming upon us. The grizzly bear is the most 
ferocious of the bear tribe, and will attack the 
hunter with the most desperate and persevering 
fierceness, especially in the defense of its young. 
The brutes were closely upon us, and not a mo- 
ment was to be lost. Raising our large rifles to 
our shoulders, we both fired at the same in- 
stant; but, unfortunately, both shots were fired 
at the same bear, which for a moment stood 
paralyzed and then fell over dead. The other 
one was already standing upon his hind feet 
within a few feet of Doc, extending his afiection- 
ate arms for a hug, and from the looks of his 
mouth, a kiss too. In attempting to reload his- 
rifle he found that the shell had stuck in the 
chamber, so dropping the rifle he drew his six- 
shooter ; but before he could tire it was knocked 



THROUGH THE WEST. 285 

from his hand by the powerful paw. Again 
Doc. grabbed up his gun, and by repeated blows 
with the heavy barrel over the nose, which is the 
most tender part of the bear, he succeeded for a 
few minutes in keeping bruin at bay. All this 
was the work of an instant, and I saw the neces- 
sity of a shot from my big rifle to stop the in- 
furiated beast. So, having shoved a cartridge 
into the chamber, I took deliberate aim at the 
heart and fired. The bear shifted just as I pull- 
ed, and instead of the ball striking the heart, it 
entered a few inches above the intended mark, 
crushing the shou-lder-bone. This completely 
disabled the left fore leg, and the animal fell at 
the report of the gun ; but after rolling over two 
or three times upon the ground, he again reared 
upon his hind feet and renewed the contest with 
apparently increased fury. We now used the 
six-shooters, — known as forty-fives, — and which 
were also deadly weapons. !N'ine shots were 
fired, when the frenzied beast became subdued 
and fell dead at our feet. Upon examination, 
eight of these shots were found to be simply 
flesh-wounds, yet a solitary ball, having pene- 
trated the heart, would necessarily have pro- 
duced death. The conflict was now over, 



286 eomspert's travels 

and we looked about for the pet cub. Just 
around the edge of the clitf we saw an entrance, 
leading, as we supposed, into a cave among the 
rocks. Here was doubtless the abode of the 
bruin family ; and we supposed that the cub had 
gone in, but had no particular desire to go in to 
see. 

We were soon on our way to camp, each car- 
rying a bear-hide and a chunck of the meat. 
The hides were dried, and proved to be of much 
service. During the day they served as cushions 
for seats, and when the nights were cold they 
were our warmest covering. As we had often 
heard of bear-flesh being the most delicious of 
all meats, we were anxious for a taste. Accord- 
ingly, a quantity was at once placed upon the 
fire for supper. We were a little disappointed; 
but having exercised considerable during the 
day, it nevertheless tasted very well. 

The next morning we set out to cross the park. 
About 3:00 p. M. we arrived at the opposite side, 
and concluded to camp until the morrow. 
We had scarcely halted when a single Indian 
came out of the pines, and manifesting friendli- 
ness, came up to our camp. He could speak a 
few words in English ; and we soon found that 



THROUGH THE WEST. 287 

he wanted a shooting-match. We disregarded 
his solicitations for a little while ; but he still pre- 
sisted. Doc. then took his rifle in his hand, and 
making him understand that he was the poorest 
shot in the party, showed him that he would 
shoot. The Indian appeared delighted; and 
walking away three hundred yards, he cut a 
notch in a tree with his tomahawk, and with ut- 
most satisfaction came back to shoot. He ex- 
pressed his desire that Doc. should shoot first; 
and without ceremony he fired, striking the 
center of the white chip. The red-man gave 
his shoulders a shrug, and with an "ugh" of 
surprise he refused to make a shot, and was soon 
gone away disgusted into the pines. There 
were doubtless many others among the surround- 
ing hills, and this one had perhaps come out to 
test our ability with the rifle. They are cautious 
about approaching the unerring ball, but at the 
same time entertain comparatively little fear from 
the awkward marksman. They have entertained 
this dreadful fear of the big rifle in the hand of 
a good marksman ever since the year 1860, when 
a party down in Texas were rounded up by 
buff'alo-hunters and the most of them picked off 
at a very long range. This information is in every 



288 romspert's travels 

tribe, and will doubtless become proverbial. 
''Why/' they say, " the big bullets are whizzing 
down in Texas yet, hunting Indians." 

The next morning, while preparing breakfast, 
two other Indians appeared and asked for some- 
thing to eat. We did not hesitate to share with 
them, and they eat greedily. I might here re- 
mark that during the whole of our extended 
journey, notwithstanding that we were often ap- 
proached by the hungry Indian as well as w^hite 
man, we never refused to share eat and drink, 
no matter how scanty our supply. 

Having heard so much about Leadville for the 
last few months, and seeing such vast numbers of 
emigrants daily winding their way to the mount- 
ain of wealth, we concluded to give it a visit also. 
We could hear the whistles blow, and see great 
columns of smoke rising from between the hills 
when we were yet fully fifteen miles away. We 
began to see dead horses and mules by the way ; 
and as we proceeded the numbers increased until 
within a mile or so of the place the way was 
literally strewed with dead animals; and there 
was not a spear of grass left for our horses 
to graze. We at length arrived at the great 
center of excitement; but the scene I can 



THROUGH THE WEST. 289 

not describe. The place lies between two ridges, 
and is nine thousand feet above the level of the 
sea. 'No costly mansions, built with time and 
care, adorn the place, and no spacious business 
blocks, with their beautiful polished fronts, are 
seen; but the great mining metropolis of the 
Union stands with her hastily-reared cabins 
among the green stumps of the late forest, and 
her hundreds of tents glitter upon the hill- 
sides that have been lett rugged by the spade of 
the hungry miner. Snow glistens upon the 
crests of the high mountains in every direction. 
Its cold breath brings chill to the camp, and 
the nights are very cold. 

The population is estimated at twenty thou- 
sand ; and with fully one half of these miserably 
located in wagons, and insufficient coverings, 
there is much misery. Like unto the finding of 
gold at the discovery of America, the populace 
had been excited far and near, and the greedy 
seekers of the precious metal came rushing to 
this find in the cold, bleak mountains like perish- 
ing cattle to the pool. West-bound trains were 
every day behind time with their terrible loads 
of people, who did not consider that there could 
be no accommodations in a place so rapidly 

19 



290 romspert's travels 

sprung, and the consequences were hunger and 
exposure. This resulted in disease ; and at one 
time many were daily swept away by pneumo- 
nia. The horses, too, standing unsheltered upon 
the mountain-slopes by the hundreds, with no 
pasture but the green twigs of the fallen trees, 
and the little feed that some of their owners 
could afford to buy, contracted diseases; and the 
town was literally surrounded with dead animals. 
Many poor men, depending upon their teams for 
support, were entirely broken up. Persons 
coming by wagons usually had a small stock of 
provisions and beds along; but the thousands 
who came from the East by rail were at the 
mercy of those who were prepared to board and 
lodge. There were boarding-tents stuck upon 
the hill- sides, and, though all could not be ac- 
commodated, meals were from one to two dollars 
apiece. There were other lodging-cabins, and 
this was from fifty to one dollar per night. I 
have seen persons who just came from the East, 
and not wishing to peril their health by exposure 
in the cold night-air of the mountain, offer five 
dollars for a comfortable night's lodging. They 
had plenty of money, but the accommodation was 
not to be had ; and many a person from a good, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 291 

warm bed lay here shivering in the folds of a 
single thin blanket, and paid an exorbitant price 
for the privilege. There was one large hall, which 
was built at the beginning of the excitement, and 
w^hich now rented at seventeen hundred dollars 
per month. It was used as a saloon, and had two 
bars, with two tenders and a cashier behind each ; 
and day and night the drinks were issued as fast 
as these men could tend. The spare part of 
the hall was let out to lodgers ; and persons paid 
iifty cents per night to wrap themselves in 
their own blankets and sleep spoon-fashion 
upon the floor. The floor was covered every 
night. It would be difficult to even imagine the 
amount this firm daily realized. There being no 
railroad here, everything had to be freighted in 
over rough mountain-roads, and of course was 
very high. There was but one route by which a 
railroad could reach the place, and that was up 
the grand canon of the Arkansas ; and this was 
just wide enough for one track. The Denver & 
Rio Grande and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 
companies both saw the great prospect for a road 
to Leadville, and they both began to extend 
their tracks. They came to the canon at the 
same time, and a quarrel arose as to which 



292 romspert's travels 

should enter. Each company employed squads 
of men to guard its workmen^ and gave them 
five dollars per day; but great bowlders would 
tumble down the canon from several hundred 
feet above, and thud heavily in the waters below 
whenever work was begun. This war was 
waged for some time, during which several men 
were killed. At length United States troops 
were called to the scene, and General Sherman 
came out to quell the war. The matter was 
taken to court, and after a decision in favor of 
the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad the little 
narrow-gauge wound up the gorge to the town. 

Persons who bought property here at , the 
early stage of the excitement suddenly rose to 
men of wealth ; for a lot in the heart of town 
was worth far more than a lot in the center of 
Dayton, Ohio. Many shrewd persons made for- 
tunes here, in various ways ; and some lost all 
they had. I will venture that there are many 
returned to the East with Leadville experience 
to-day who will consider before they rush wildly 
to another find in the cold, bleak mountain in 
the winter-season. 

In connection with this sketch of Leadville I 
feel constrained also to add something that will 



THROUGH THE WEST. 293 

doubtless be interesting to many, as showing the 
physical and financial ability of woman as well 
as Leadville opportunities. Mrs. Sallie Ray, 
known as the Leadville washer- woman, has to- 
day an income of thirty thousand dollars per 
annum, owning property in Leadville that rents 
for two thousand dollars per month. The fol- 
lowing is a brief history of this wonderful 
woman : She was born in the north of Ireland 
in the year 1830, and came to Xew York when 
she was fifteen years of age. She there married 
a book-keeper named Joseph Ordway. He soon 
died, and she went west to Leavenworth, Kansas. 
From there she went to Denver, and finally, in 
1867, to Leadville. In Denver she married a man 
named Frank Hay; but he died soon after, leav- 
ing to her a daughter, Cora, now a pretty girl of 
about seventeen years. Her career has been a 
peculiarly eventful and exciting one, and would 
doubtless make an interesting little volume. 
She has dug in mines, fought in Indian wars by 
the side of her husband, scoured the plains on 
horseback as a scout, and became an expert at 
the business. She braved the dangers and 
storms of winter, where Leadville now stands, 
before there were houses to inhabit; and she 



294 romspert's travels 

says she used to keep Cora wrapped up in warm 
blankets, day and night, to keep her from freez- 
ing. She helped found the city of Leadville, 
mapped roads, built houses, and took in washing 
from the miners. When the place became set- 
tled, the land she had taken up turned into a 
fortune ; and as the silver rattled down the 
wash-board she felt herself growing rich. She 
weighs about one hundred and forty pounds. 
Having her property all in the hands of good 
agents, she is taking her ease. 

There are constantly finds being made that 
create a great excitement at first ; but in most 
cases they prove inferior to expectation, and 
soon die away. On the contrary, this has proved 
a good camp ; and from the rich finds that are 
being made every once in awhile the whole town 
and its surroundings appear to be threaded with 
rich veins of silver-quartz. We were not greedy 
or in any wise excited, however, and concluded 
to leave the place and steer for Denver, the 
queen city of the West. 

We passed down Chimney Gulch, the great 
natural pass through the towering Rocky Mount- 
ains, and in which roll the clear waters of a 
beautiful mountain-stream. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 295 

We camped one evening in this gulch, fifteen 
miles from Denver, and thought to try our hands 
at fishing. We never had success in fishing 
in clear waters, where the fish could see us ; so, 
of course, we sought a place where the water 
was shaded. After finding a place where the 
water whirled into foam round a rock, and grass 
floated on the eddj, we cast our hooks; but in 
spite of the soft, delicious fat meat that we sus- 
pended there was nary a bite. 

There were some fellows out from the city, 
also; and they, too, were fishing, but with bet- 
ter success. They came up to where we were ; 
and seeing the place in which we were fishing 
and the bait we used, they burst into a hearty 
laugh, and asked us if we were not cat-fishers 
from Arkansas. Will was a little insulted at 
this remark, and told them that the fishers were 
all right but the darned fish were just like the 
people out west here — used to eating nothing but 
mud and grasshoppers, and did not know what 
meat was. 

I was willing to be called anything, so I could 
catch fish ; so I went to their wagon, and, finding 
that they had a nice Bucket of trout, I decided 
to take a little piscatorial information. I learned 



296 romspert's travels 

that trout stayed ouly in clear water, and were 
from six inches to a foot in length. The fishing 
is usually done with a fly ; that is, a little red 
feather tied just over the hook. When baiting 
is used, grasshoppers are the best; and meat will 
not do at all. Will was right. The hook is 
cast into the w^ater where trout are seen, or where 
there are rocks or logs under which they are 
likely to be, and then dragged up and down to 
attract attention. The hook is sometimes drawn 
past the fish several times w^ithout notice, and 
of a sudden a dart is made at the fly or bait ; 
and in either case he usually sticks. 

We had better success in our fishing after this 
lesson ; but we also learned that it took ingenu- 
ity and lots of experience to catch speckled 
trout. Finding the grasshoppers few, and the 
best jumpers we ever saw, we concluded that 
the fish we could catch would not satisfy the 
hunger engendered in capturing the baits ; so 
we gave up the sport to look at the mountain 
curiosities. 

The walls upon either side of the gulch tower 
several hundred feet high, and in some places 
are almost perpendicular. The gulch is very 
narrow here and there, and the stream takes up 



THROUGH THE WEST. 297 

nearly the whole pass. In these places the way 
has been worked and walls of stone have been 
built. We thought the people of Denver had 
done this through necessity, and never even 
dreamed of a toll-gate. But in the morning, as 
we came near the mouth of the gulch, we found 
a fair tree suspended in the way ; and were asked 
one dollar, or ten cents per mile, for the privi- 
lege of passing under. Well, there was but one 
thing to do, for even the best-trained burro 
could not climb round the gate, and the man 
who stood in the door of his little cabin with 
his belt of six-shooters on, looked as though he 
meant to collect his toll, so we paid the bill and 
drove out from the mighty walls upon the pretty 
level prairie. 

It was Sabbath morning, and the sun shone 
brightly. The tolling of the church-bells could 
be distinctly heard, while the spires rose high 
and glittered in the sunlight. It was a delight- 
ful morning, and we passed merrily along, anx- 
ious to stand in the beautiful streets of the west- 
ern Jerusalem. We soon met the folks from the 
city riding out in their fine carriages, enjoying 
the soft, pure, morning air, and we thought of 
home. We had a white cover upon our wagon, 



298 romspert's travels 

and as the little ones passed by they would ex- 
citedly call out to pa and ma to look at the 
gypsies. When near the city we met two young 
men on horseback who were disagreeing as ta 
the distance of the mountains that hung upon 
the edge of the prairie in the direction from 
whence we came. One was acquainted with the 
country and kneio the distance ; but his comrade 
was insisting that it was but three miles at most. 
So, standing as he was between the great confi- 
dence he had in his friend, and his own judg- 
ment, based upon real observation, he came to 
us acknowledging his fresh arrival from the 
East and inexperience in the country, and asked 
for the truth. We had been in his fix at Pike's 
Peak, and though realizing his position, we told 
him it was full fifteen miles, and drove on. 

We at length came to the city and camped in 
a pretty grove upon the banks of the South 
Platte that rolls along the edge of the corpora- 
tion. It was a cool, delightful spot, and there 
was a wagon beneath almost every tree, while 
great numbers of children were playing in the 
cool shade. Some had come here to spend the 
summer and had large tents up, and cooking- 
stoves, and other household furniture. They 



THROUGH THE WEST. 299 

live comfortably in the pure, soft, open air. We 
went into the city, and were greatly pleased with 
its fine, large buildings, and pretty, dry streets. 
The principal hotels are the American, Inter- 
ocean, and Grand Central. These are very fine 
bouses, and are usually crowded to their utmost 
during the summer by persons who come here to 
spend their vacations for their health. There are 
persons in Denver who say they came here hope- 
less invalids, and to-day they are stout and 
hearty. The population is said to be forty 
thousand ; but from the fact that there are so 
many transient persons, it is hard to estimate. 
The post-office is large, and has three general 
deliveries, each taking charge of the mail under 
certain letters of the alphabet. These deliveries 
are opened for a short time whenever a mail ar- 
rives; and persons looking for mail have to be 
on time. There are so many persons here from 
the East, and who have no boxes, that to avoid 
rushing and confusion they are made to form 
rows and march up in regular order — the little 
one standing an equal show. These rows some- 
times reach clear out of the house and far down 
the sidewalk, and persons often stand at the de- 
livery fifteen minutes before it opens so as to be 



300 



first ; for sometimes the window is closed before 
all are served. The city is very thrifty; and at 
the time we were there fifteen hundred houses 
were said to be in process of erection. All 
kinds of business is flourishing, and workmen 
appear to be encouraged. Law is excepted, for 
there are more lawyers here than would be nec- 
essary to do three times Denver's legal business. 
Just south of the city is located the largest gold 
and silver smelter (it is said) in the world. By 
miners, farmers, stock-raisers, and tourists the 
city is supported. North and east of the city 
there are several hundred acres of good farming- 
land ; and the very best crops of wheat, potatoes, 
oats, etc., and some splendid fruit also, are raised. 
Of course it is all done by irrigation ; but the 
mountain-streams are near, and the broad, level 
fields arc easily flooded. 

Our next place was Cheyenne, Wyoming, which 
lay about one hundred and ten miles to the north ; 
so taking a last look we left the beautiful city 
behind and journeyed up the Kansas Pacific 
liailway. There was a well-broken road all the 
way, and we glided smoothly along, crossing 
over the Little Thompson Creek, and near by 
Fort Collins, and soon entered the city. It is 



THROUGH THE WEST. 301 

situated upon the north bank of a branch of the 
South Platte, called Crow Creek, and is sur- 
rounded by barren hills. The great Union Pa- 
cific Railroad runs through the place, and the 
Colorado Central and Kansas Pacific roads ter- 
minate here. There is a great deal of raining- 
machinerj manufactured here, and this, with the 
railroad shops, stock-raising, and the govern- 
ment fort near by, is what supports the town. 
The town is somewhat scattered, and the build- 
ings are mostly old and very common. There 
are many saloons and gambling-houses; and 
though there are undoubtedly some good citizens 
here, the people generally are pretty rough char- 
acters — the female portion not excepted. How- 
ever, the place is not nearly so notorious as years 
ago, when it is said they used to have a man 
every morning for breakfast. We paid here 
four cents per pound for potatoes, three cents for 
corn, five cents for flour, and for other things in 
proportion. 

Our young friend William Gray here con- 
cluded that things were not like they were in 
old native Nebraska, — to which he was fervently 
attached ; and not wishing to experience any 
more changes, see any more Indians, or get any 



302 



farther from home, he concluded to go back 
where father's chimney helped make the morn- 
ing fog. So, mounting his pony, he bid us 
good-by, and loped out of sight down the rail- 
road with a light heart, and the determination 
to live and die and be buried in blessed old 
I^Tebraska. 

Will had hardly gone when two young men 
named June and Hugh Goodrich came to our 
camp; and finding that we were on our way to 
California, and that we wanted company, they 
made application, and we concluded to go to- 
gether. They were brothers, and were then on 
their way from Missouri to Oregon. We were 
in camp together but a few days until we found 
that though they were inexperienced, they were 
nevertheless good, honest boys; and we were 
proud of our new companions. 

We now started for the notorious Black Hills 
that lay along both sides of the line between 
Wyoming and Dakota, and one hundred miles 
to the north. There was a wagon-road leading 
from Cheyenne directly to the hills, and taking 
this we crossed over the Platte River. In a few 
days we were in sight of the hills. They are 
high, rugged, and perfectly barren, and the sur- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 303 

face is so dark as to have the appearance of 
burnt prairie. Hence, the name Black Hills. 
We pushed on up to Camp Bradley, and then 
visited some of the mines. The miners say that 
this is undoubtedly the richest mining-district in 
the West; but for mining there is much water 
needed, and this they lack. The artesian experi- 
ment is being tried, but thus far with poor suc- 
cess. But should this eventually succeed, min- 
ing-stock in the Black Hills will be at a pre- 
mium. Work is going on, however, but the 
pannings are light. 

The Indians have been a reigning terror to 
the miners here, and whole outfits have been 
murdered on the way, while men were every day 
shot down with picks in their hands by the hid- 
den foe. The little camps that stick here and 
there among the hills are made up of men who 
care not for man or devil ; and a rougher set I 
never saw. They beat cow-boys badly. There 
is a saloon and gambling-house in every camp ; 
and could the hills but speak, they would 
tell of crimes as black as the sands upon their 
slopes. The hills can be seen from one or two 
points on the Union Pacific Railroad. There is 
a branch railroad being now built from the 



304 romspert's travels 

Union Pacific a little west of Cheyenne to the 
hills. 

We now came down the north fork of the 
Cheyenne, then over on the Powder, and then 
down the Platte to the Union Pacific Railroad 
again, and started west. We soon came to Raw- 
lings, a place spoken of in connection with the 
White River agency massacre as where the 
troops left the railroad to go to the scene. We 
now opened into a dry, sandy desert, and were 
compelled to make forty and fifty mile drives, 
with the wheels rolling deep in the soft surface, 
to reach water. 

In one of these hig drives we came to a little 
stream called Bitter Creek, that flowed noise- 
lessly down a ravine ; and the first impulse was 
joy. But when we got to the bank we found a 
notice stuck up warning us to not let stock 
drink for the water was poisonous. It was as 
white as milk with alkali ; and we wondered if 
we had not struck the land that flows with milk 
and honey — however, we saw no honey around. 
The horses wanted to drink, but we carefully 
kept them from it. Taking a cup, I resolved to 
taste the stufl', poison or no poison. I took but 
a little sip, and was satisfied; for it was so 



THROUGH THE WEST. 305 

strong that the skin came off my lips and tongue 
wherever the water touched. 

We came to the mountains at dark, and fol- 
lowing a road that branched oii' down a deep 
gulch to the right we traveled about two miles 
and opened into a little basin covered with rich, 
green grass, and where the pure, cool water bub- 
bled U'om the toot of the nivjiuitain and ran olt 
down the hollow, glittering in the bright moon- 
light. Having just come out of the scorching 
sands, and not having had a drink of good water 
for several days, the cnmp was to us delightful; 
and the ponies, after quenching their thirst from 
the crystal stream, rolled themselves upon the 
soft lawn and went to grazing the tender grass 
as though well contented. 

There were several other outfits there also; 
and by one of the wagons a splendid, large, 
dark-bay stallion lay dead. The horse was very 
dry when he came to Bitter Creek, and in spite 
of all warning his owner let him drink; and 
though he took but a few swallows of the ugly 
w^ater it did the work. 

We stayed here the next day to recruit our 
team, and killed a fine large deer that came to 
drink at the water below; and the following 

20 



806 romspert's travels 

morning we took our last draught from the cool 
waters, and rather reluctantly left the beautiful 
Antelope Springs to climb up the side of the 
mighty mountain to the west. We wound 
slowly up the steep side, and it was nearly night 
before we reached the top. When once there 
w^e could see for miles around over the rugged, 
barren peaks and the dry, sandy plains of Bitter 
Creek. The timber was but dwarfy bushes; the 
air was light and cool, and the clouds swept by 
our feet along the crest of the mountain, being 
sometimes so thick as to hide objects but a few 
yards away. We looked down the other side, 
and it appeared to be miles to the bottom; for 
the pines in the valley below looked like little 
twigs on a hazel-brush. We descended but a 
short way when we came to a pretty spring and 
stopped for the night; for our horses were very 
tired. The next day at noon we reached the 
bottom ; and as we looked back it seemed as 
though we had come directly down from the 
heavens. 

Here stood what is called Quakenasp Mount- 
ain ; and fiom a cliff away up in its side sprung 
a stream of clear water w^hich came tumbling 
down over the rocks like a cataract. We had 



THROUGH THE WEST. 307 

beard tins mountain spoken of as being a great 
place for game; so, being remarkably fond of 
hunting, we concluded to stop and try our hand. 
There were great chasms in the mountain-side, 
and these were filled with thick growths of 
•quakenasp-trees and bushes, down among which 
the water flowed and where the game harbored. 

Leaving the Goodrich brotheis in camp, Doc. 
and myself each strapped a blanket upon his 
back, and, taking our big rifles, we started up 
the mountain. We saw some sign, but no game 
until we reached the top. Looking down the 
other side we saw a little branch running down 
a deep hollow, and we descended. Here the 
banks were all cut up with the sharp hoofs of 
the deer and elk, and the print of a single Indian 
moccasin could be seen in the soft sand at the 
brink. The slopes were all covered with sage- 
brush as thick as a man's leg and as high as his 
breast, with here and there a little pine-tree. I 
often think of it to-day as the wildest-looking 
place I saw in all my travels. 

Our camp lay just over the mountain, about 
four miles away ; and as the darkness was al- 
ready gathering we concluded to stay here till 
morning and shoot the game as it came to the 



308 romspert's travels 

water. So, wrapping ourselves in our blankets ^ 
we la}^ down among the sage brush at the roots 
of a little pine sapling that stood on the bank of 
the stream and were dozing sweetly when the 
piereing howl of a wolf, that appeared to be 
trailing us down the mountain-side, broke the 
deep silence and roused us from our slumbers. 
Almost instantly howling began in every glen 
and on every hill-side; and the shrill notes 
echoed down the valley in which we lay. We 
had always kept a lire when in bad wolf-coun- 
tries before; but thinking that there ^vas no 
danger here we had avoided fire on account of 
the game. And it was even dangerous to start 
a fire here among the dry sage-brush without 
first carefully clearing a place; for, should the 
fire break out, we would surely perish in the 
flames. What was to be done must be done 
quickly, for the brush was crashing at our very 
sides and the deafening cries rang in our ears. 
Fire-arms against such numbers was a feeble de- 
fense; and there being no other tree that could 
be reached in time, we both sprung into the 
slender sapling that we knew was too weak to 
bear us up, just getting out of the way when 
several lar^e wolves reached the tree. Doc. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 309 

being the lightest went up first, and I stayed as 
close to the bottom as I could to take oft* as 
much weight as possible. But, just as we had 
anticipated, the tree was too w^eak ; and, bend- 
ing over, Doc. w^as left within six feet of the 
ground, so that we were both almost within 
reach of our hungry foes. Thicker and thicker 
they came and louder and louder they howled 
until they looked like a large flock of sheep, 
and we could not hear each other speak. They 
became so ravenous that they would spring up 
and clash their foaming jaws together, some- 
times within a few inches of us, and now and 
then catching parts of our clothing, and blow- 
ing their warm breath in our faces. It was a 
critical moment; and had that tree been high 
enough I would have climbed up to the moon. 
But it was the best we could do ; and with our 
knives in our hands v^e struck them in the head 
as they jumped up. The prey was so near that 
they lost themselves in anxiety and rage, and 
would spring at the tree and gnaw like mad ma- 
niacs. This I was careful to stop with a shot or 
two from my six-shooter ; for should the tree be 
weakened in 'the least w^e knew very well that it 
w^ould make but little difterence to us who got 



310 romspert's travels 

to be president of tlie United States. We fought 
them off in this way for several hours, and until 
there were many killed and great numbers- 
wounded. All of a sudden — as though their at- 
tention had been attracted by something else — 
they ran off, howling, down the stream. This 
was our opportunity ; and leaping quickly to the 
ground we grabbed our rifles and ran for another 
and larger tree that stood two hundred yards 
away. We got about half way when we found 
that they were coming back ; and then there was 
a race for life. We thought that the sage-brush 
were thicker than we had ever seen them ; and 
it appeared as though the tree were a mile off. 
On we went, lunging, leaping, and falling, and 
the howling became too near to sound nice. 
The tree is but a few yards away, yet the brush 
are rattling at our very heels and the angry 
growl is plain to our ears. 

The tree is reached, and we each spring for a 
limb and draw ourselves up out of the very 
mouths of our enemies. For a moment we are 
safe. But, great horror ! Just at that moment 
Doc's limb broke, and he fell back among the 
enraged throng. He alighted upon his feet, 
however, and leaving his rifle fall and throwing 



THROUGH THE WEST. 311 

his blanket from his shoulder the attention of 
the wolves was slightly diverted, and, quick as a 
cat, he sprung for another limb; but before he 
could draw himself out of the way several large 
fellows firmly fastened their fangs in the legs ot 
his pants, and I thought the show was about 
over with him. They howled and raged and 
tore, with their game in their very jaws ; but 
Doc. held to the limb with a death-grip, until 
I shot the wolves that held him down, and, 
drawing himself safely up, he heaved a long 
sigh of relief and appeared to be surprised to 
find that his legs and feet were all there, with 
but a few lii^ht scars. 

We were now safe ; but the wind turning cold 
about midnight, our couch in the tree was very 
unpleasant, indeed. The pack appeared to be 
bound to have meat, and stayed round the tree, 
howling and gnawing, until near daylight, when 
they began to disperse, and the noise died away 
among the rifts and gorges. AYhen all was 
quiet and the night was done w^e stepped to the 
ground much relieved. The tree was terribly 
torn, and the ground and brush all around were 
smeared with blood and foam. We found twen- 
ty large wolves lying dead among the sage- 



312 romspert's travels 

brush, with wounds from knife and bullet. 
Great pools of blood stood here and there, and 
the blankets were hanging in shreds on the 
brush. We had had wolf-calls several times; 
but that was the most disagreeable call we had 
ever experienced. 

We did not think it worth our while to look 
for game in that part after such a night of 
carousing, so taking our rifles we started up 
over the mountain for camp. We got near the 
top, when hearing a racket among the crags and 
bushes near by, w^e dodged behind a large rock 
and prepared for the on come. Soon a large elk 
dashed from a deep gorge, and started ofl" down 
the mountain-side, closely pursued by several 
great wolves. Quickly resting our rifles against 
the rock, we sent our lead upon the elk ; and 
wdtli a jerk of the head and a high leap in the 
air, he fell dead among the rocks, and the wolves 
ran off in fright. It was the largest of the 
species that I had ever seen, and the tips of its 
great horns were five feet apart. Taking the 
tongue and saddle, we went down into camp and 
found everything all right. We then had break- 
fast; and the soft flesh was delicious. I shall 
never forget that night, and shall ever feel 



THROUGH THE WEST. 313 

thankful that our new comrades were left at 
camp; for otherwise, with their inexperience, 
the result would certainly have been bitter to 
our little camp. 

Well, we were now readj, and again rolled on, 
crossing over a dry, barren belt of country, and 
at length arrived at Green River, a little town 
situated on the banks of a stream from which it 
takes its name. At this place the stream is one 
hundred and fifty yards wide, and the water, as 
indicated by the name, is really of a light- 
green color. It is also very clear and deceiv- 
ing, and rolls so rapidly that it is considered 
a very dangerous stream. The evening that we 
arrived there was a man upon the opposite shore 
with a large herd of horses that he had raised in 
Idaho, and which he was driving East. They 
persistently refused to enter the water ; but after 
repeated attempts they were started in. Seeing 
them drifting far down the stream, he swam his 
horse in below, intending to keep them up. 
He was known to be an expert swimmer; but 
the herd drifted against him, and in some way 
getting dismounted, he was borne down beneath 
the surface ; and the fishes that sport beneath the 
green waters are probably to-day playing around 



314 



his white frame. His wife and two children 
witnessed the terrible sight from the bank, and 
were almost distracted with grief; but the mad 
waters rolled on, and they were widow and 
fatherless. 

There was a whole gang of miserable-looking 
Ad'kansas emigrants, with their ox-teams, and 
old wagons with tops patched with dish-rags^ 
old hats, etc., stopping upon the bank, and think- 
ing themselves unable to pay the ferryman's bill 
of three dollars per wagon, were debating what 
to do to get beyond. The price ivas exorbitant; 
and finding the ferryman a very independent 
gentleman, I jumped on a pony and rode into 
the stream to try its depth. The waters were 
very clear, and I found the depth to be very ir- 
regular, — some places being very deep, and 
others but three and four feet. I was very care- 
ful in picking my route and marking it by ob- 
jects upon the bank, and at length went back for 
the w^agon. We passed ropes under the bed 
and lifted it up to the top rings in the standards, 
and after putting the stoutest horse on the 
upper side, and tying a couple of stones to the 
axles, we drove in. This was an anxious mo- 
ment for the Arkansas emigrants, who lined 



THROUGH THE WEST. 315 

themselves upon the bank like a lot of mud-tur- 
tles in a morning-sun, and watched every turn. 
We got off the route a little a few times, and the 
horses could hardly keep their feet in the deep 
water, bat we arrived safely beyond. A loud 
cheer went up from the Arkansas side just as 
we landed; and though the ferryman became 
very clever, and offered his services very reason- 
ably, the oxen were yoked, the little ones loaded 
up, and in they came in our course. It was an 
interesting sight, and we stayed to see it. The 
oxen refused obedience, and were hard to man- 
age in the deep waters, and several times some 
of the wagons drifted into deep places and the 
water came up in the bed, driving the big fat 
corn-fed girls to the side-boards to cry for help ^ 
and the number of little fellows, as they stuck 
their unkempt heads out from under the cover 
of many colors, looked like eagles'-nests floating 
on the water. The old he-Arkansaws, however,, 
stayed by the teams, and one by one they wound 
up on the bank. When they were all safely 
landed, it was amusing to see the old fellows go- 
ing around their wagons as though looking if 
any were missing, while the little ones jumped 
out in the sand and sported around in the sun 
like little wet dogs. 



^16 romspert's travels 

AVe then moved on, and the next day camped 
fit the edge of a pretty forest. The following 
notice was stuck up on a tree: ^'Warning! 
Three hundred Indians in this vicinity." We 
kept a sharp lookout; and though w^e saw some 
of them, we had no trouble. 

"VVe were now traveling on the old California 
emigrant-road ; and every few miles we would 
find stones or boards stuck up at the road-side - 
with almost obliterated inscriptions of "Dora 
Sires, killed by Indians," or, died of fever, etc., 
etc., — some of the dates being as far back as 
1850. We chatted with several old Forty-niners 
in our rounds, and the}^ told us many interesting 
incidents in their journey through the wide, 
wild regions. They say they used to go in large 
companies for their protection against savages 
and wild beasts. And to maintain order among 
themselves, they took their judges and law- 
yers along, and summary justice Avas meted out 
to the offenders as they went along. Some- 
times the sentence w^as death; and in this case 
the prisoner dangled from the limb of a tree by 
the road-side. 

Passing along we came to Evanston, a little 
town on the Union Pacific Railroad, and near 



THROUGH THE WEST. 317 

the Utah line. Here we entered Echo Canon^ 
down through which ran the railway — in fact 
this being the only way the insarmountable- 
heights can he crossed. This canon is far noted 
for its grandeur, which in no case has been ex- 
aggerated. After we had gone down into it a 
few miles, we found the walls almost perpen- 
dicular, and from eight hundred to one thousand 
feet high ; and the great eagles that flew from 
crag to crag above our heads looked as small as 
swallows. Upon speaking here the volume was- 
greatly increased, and an ordinary conversation 
echoed far down the canon. Hence the name,, 
<'Echo Canon." There is a little stream run- 
ning in at the mouth of the canon, and being 
fed all the way down by springs that roll their 
waters from the cliffs above, it increases to quite- 
a creek. At some places the canon is very nar- 
row, and the stream taking up nearly the whole 
way, the rail and wagon roads are forced to 
wind along the side of the mountains, often sev- 
eral hundred feet above. The road at these 
X^laces has required a great deal of labor to make 
it passable, and is so narrow that should a 
wheel get six inches out of the way, team, 
w^agon and all would roll down the steep side 



318 romspert's travels 

and be dashed to pieces against the crags and 
pineSj and finally thud in the waters far below. 
There are places all along, a mile or two apart, 
where teams can pass, and it is the duty of each 
outfit to keep a guard ahead ; but in case outfits 
do meet, one wagon has to be taken apart to let 
the other pass. Fierce contests sometimes arise 
as to who shall undo. At these places look out 
for the toll. 

There are many of these great gulches and 
canons in the mountains, and much of mountain- 
travel is done over lofty, dangerous roads. 
Sometimes the track winds around the mount- 
ain several times, and then runs along the crest 
for several miles; and to look down into the 
swimming space, the dark, deep passes appear like 
w^ays into the center of the earth. I have often 
— through curiosity — climbed above timber-line 
upon the side of the mountain, where all was 
bleak and rocky, and looked down the steep, 
pine-decked slopes. There are often rocks 
weighing many tons just hanging on the steep 
sides, and can be pried loose with little effort; 
and it is amusing to start them down the mount- 
ain-side and see them mow the pines as though 
they were straw, leaving a swath like a reaper, 



THROUGH THE WEST. 319 

and thudding heavily in the grassy hollows be- 
low. At lonely places in some of the roads that 
run through dark, deep canons, there are bridges 
built over streams and gorges by private indi- 
viduals, who live in little forts by the way and 
extort the most exorbitant rates for crossing 
over. They are always well armed, and travelers 
are forced to pay; for there is no way to get 
around, and to travel back over the steep, rocky 
road they can not think of. There is, however, 
once in a while a person who understands the 
mountain tricks ; and when they come this way 
there are some lively times in the narrow passes; 
and doubtless many a man has sent up his soul 
from the rifts am.ong the rocks by these lonely 
mountain-bridges. 

All persons en route for the Pacific by way of 
the Union Pacific should keep a sharp lookout 
for Echo Canon and view its grandeur, as the 
train winds slowly down between its towering- 
walls. 

Coming to Echo City, a little mining-town in 
the canon, we branched off up Weber Canon, 
then up Silver Creek Canon toward Park City, 
where the Ontario Mine, the largest and richest 
silver-mine in Utah, is situated. When we 



320 



were yet twelve miles off, the stream that comes 
down from the mines through the canon was so 
impregnated with rubbish from the mines and 
quartz-mill, as to be unfit for use and to have a 
silver cast. Hence the name, " Silver Creek." 
Winding up the steep, rough canon, we at 
length came to Park City, — which is but a few 
little log and board shanties stuck nmoiig tlm 
rocks against the mountain, — and learned that 
it was just a half mile up to the main mine. 
The way was up a gorge that was so steep and 
rough as to be almost inaccessible; and when 
we arrived we were tired and our team was well 
jaded. We did not like to leave them below. 
Here stood a large frame building; and in this 
the shaft was sunk. The shaft is about six feet 
square, and there was a large engine to work the 
windlass to let the miners up and down to and 
from work, and also to haul up the quartz. We 
found the superintendent to be a very clever 
gentleman ; and he promised us that if we 
would wait till noon, when the miners had gone 
to dinner, he would let us down the shaft. This 
we gladly assented to, and we were accordingly 
let down into the bowels of the earth, five hun- 
dred feet. Here we found several chambers 



THROUGH THE WEST. 321 

branching out, each high as a man's head, and 
ten or twelve feet square. Four large engines 
were standing here for the purpose of pumping 
out the water should a vein be struck. Engi- 
neers stand ready at their posts; for they say 
water often bursts in the mine in such quantities 
as to cut off the escape of the miners should 
there be no pumps. This, then, is what is 
called flooding the mines. The metal is in hard 
rocks, called quartz ; and these rocks run in 
veins through the earth, usually two or three 
feet square. Sometimes the veins run near the 
surface, and at other times, as in this case, far 
below. Old experienced miners can generally 
tell when there is metal below. The ceiling is 
very heavily timbered up, and torches were hung 
all around. The miners have torches Hxed on 
their caps. The leads in this step had run out, 
but there was another shaft running down still 
a hundred feet deeper, where the miners w^ere 
working ; but we were not permitted to go there. 
After the foreman had shown us all around, he 
gave each of us a piece of quartz as big as a fist, 
and we all stepped upon the elevator to go up. 
The light at the top of the shaft looked like a 
star. All ready, and the foreman pulled a rope 

21 



322 romspert's travels 

which rang a bell up by the engineer, and away 
we shot up the dark shaft, and soon stood in 
daylight. There is a saw- mill here, and the en- 
gines are fired with wood. There are several 
other shafts in the surrounding hills; but this is 
the main one. Four bars of silver, worth two 
millions of dollars, were sent to the mint at one 
time from this place. 

We now went down to the quartz-mill that 
stood at the foot of the mountain. This is an 
immense structure; and the pounding and roar- 
ing of the ponderous machinery can be heard a 
long way off. We were permitted to go all 
through this mill; and though the dust and 
noise were very disagreeable, we took a careful 
look at everything. The quartz is thrown into 
a huge, long trough, and is mashed by powerful 
iron stampers that are worked up and down by 
machinery. It is then thrown in at the top of 
a big furnace ; and at a certain time an iron-cart 
is run under the furnace-grate, and the red metal 
is stirred down. It is dumped out close by to 
cool. This is very hot work; and the men do- 
ing it wear sponges over their mouths and nos- 
trils to save their lungs. There is then an 
apartment with a platform about four feet high 



THROUGH THE WEST. 323 

opon either side, with steps leading up. Upon 
either platform there are six tubs, two feet high 
and four feet in diameter. A small stream 'of 
water runs from pipes into each tub, in which 
some kind of machinery whirls round. The 
dust, as it comes from the furnace, is thrown into 
these tubs, and the clean metal comes out below, 
looking like quicksilver, and floats in pans upon 
£i strong fluid solution. When the pans are full 
it is skimmed ofl', and then melted and run into 
bars. This process of melting is called smelting. 

There are different kmds of mines. The 
quartz-mme, already spoken of, where the metal, 
like fine sand, is mixed all through hard rock; 
the 2^lcicer-uiine, where the metal is found among 
gravel and sand; and the sluice-m'uie, where the 
metal is in the bed and on the banks of a stream. 
Of course, some are very rich, while others are 
so poor that it does not pay to work them. 

The sand and gravel from the placer-mine are 
hauled to water, and there the metal is washed 
out. This is called panning, and is spoken of as 
panning out "rich" or "poor." 

In the sluice or gulch mine the men dig the 
dirt into the water and mash up the clods, throw 
out the stones, etc., and the dirt all washes down 



324 romspert's travels 

while the metal sinks to the bottom. When 
there is considerable on the bottom, the stream 
is turned and the gold is taken up, put in 
troughs, and washed out as in placer-mines. 

There is great gold and silver excitement in 
the mountains all the time, and many fortunes 
have been made, while, on the other hand, many 
have been lost. 

There are companies in the mountains who 
employ miners who wish to prospect — and have 
nothing to go on — upon these conditions : They 
will furnish picks and shovels and grub stakes, 
and if the miners strike anything they are to 
give half to the company. The expenses of the 
company in these bargains are not very heavy; 
and many of them have made large fortunes 
from a pick and shovel and the little sack of 
provisions that they hung upon the back of an 
ohl, crippled miner. 

It takes a great deal of money to work a mine 
payingly, especially a ^'i^ar^^-mine ; and often a 
poor miner is compelled to sell a rich find for 
very little. Kich companies watch these oppor- 
tunities, to take the advantage. 

In the summer-season, when the snows are 
melted down, parties of one, two, and three per- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 325 

sons, with tools and provisions packed on burros, 
— and sometimes on cattle, — are roaming all 
through the mountains, — down the slopes and 
up the gorges, from the pine-forests below to the 
barren, snow-capped peaks above, — toiling in 
the day-time and by moonlight, greedy and 
anxious for gold. 

There are many inexperienced persons going 
into the mountains every year to prospect ; and 
though the old miners have many tests and a 
great knowledge as to the sign of ore, a greenhorn 
often makes a find in his very tracks ; for the 
old miner passes over, depending greatly on his 
ability to tell almost at sight, while the green- 
horn comes along turning every curious-looking 
stone and digging wherever anything glitters. 
The following are a few such instances : In the 
year 1878 two brothers named Sisson, living at 
Granada, were at Pueblo court as witnesses. 
They testified in the forenoon, and taking a pick 
and shovel, in the afternoon, they started out 
among the hills toward Pike's Peak to prospect. 
When they were four or five miles from town 
their attention was attracted by the peculiar 
color of the rocks and gravel on the slope of a 
little hill ; and though they knew nothing what- 



326 romspert's travels 

ever about mining, they thought there must be 
metal there. So with pick and shovel they dug 
away, and by the moonlight they still worked. 
In the morning they w^ere satisfied that they had 
struck rich ore, though they had dug but eight 
feet deep. One of them stayed there and the 
other went to town to report. That very even- 
ing the boys w^ere otiered twenty thousand dol- 
lars for their find. This place had been trod 
over many times, and the pick and spade had 
turned the soil on all the surrounding slopes. 

One of the best mines at Leadville, also, was 
discovered by a poor, ignorant Swiss, wdio took 
his tools on his back, to make or break. Some 
miners, while prospecting among the hills, were 
attracted by fresh dirt, and going to the place 
they found the old Swiss sitting in the bottom 
of a hole seven or eight feet deep, with his head 
upon his hands, and so weak that he could 
hardly stand. He had run out of grub, and, 
know^ing that he had made a find, he was afraid 
to leave it lest some other person should get 
possession; and thus he was starving to death. 
This proved to be an immense fortune for the 
old fellow ; and, wiser than inost miners, he was 
content to take good and let better alone ; and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 327 

he sailed for his motherland, where the crystal 
lakes nestle in the Alpine folds, there to rest and 
enjoy his treasure. 

Finds are continually heing made; but the 
fortune comes so suddenly that the miner, like 
the gambler, usually spends freely, and is anx- 
ious to try his luck still further. Claims are 
often jumped by other parties, and some bitter 
fighting is sometimes done; for if there is one 
thing besides a man's own life that he will shed 
his blood for, it is the o-litterino: o:old. 

Miners receive from five to seven dollars per 
day, and furnish their own tools. It is certainly 
hard and dangerous work to dig in the mine so 
far below, and thus seeing but little sunlight the 
whole season through; but, strange to say, there 
are men who have crippled and ruined themselves 
in the dark 2:old-dens, and thouiJ:h hobblinfif on 
crutches are not yet content to live anywhere 
hut where the pick rings against the rocks, and 
the exciting qvj of gold is heard. 

Whenever the cry of a rich find is raised, it 
goes like wild-fire through the mountain-towns, 
and often far out, and people rush like maniacs 
to the scene — some to mine, some to haul, etc. 
Whether the alarm is true or false, num- 



328 



bers arrive at the scene. There are persons 
having good teams watching these breaks, and 
as soon as the first cry is raised they load their 
wagons with tobaccos, liquors, flour, feed, shoes, 
blankets, etc., etc., and hastening to the ground 
they cut down some pines and stake oft* a claim, 
and build a little store-house. They get their 
own prices for goods ; and should the cry he false, 
he can easily sell out to persons who come to see; 
but should the find be rich, he has his store-house 
where he can make his fortune. Besides, the vein 
might run under his very claim. Persons are 
making fortu7ies at this to-day ; and Leadville is 
an example. Persons who staked off their little 
claims among the trees on the mountain-side 
when the discovery was first made, can to-day 
count their wealth in large pieces of silver and 
gold. 

Park City is forty miles from Salt Lake; and 
anxious to see the great historical valley, as well 
as the home of a people who are the world's 
curiosity, we pulled out in that direction. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 329 



CHAPTER III. 

View of Salt Lake Valley and Citj^ — Tabernacle — History of 
the Mormons — Joe Smith — Came to Kirtland, Ohio — Brig- 
ham Young Converted — Located at Independence, Mis- 
souri — Located at Xauvoo, Illinois — Joe and Hiram Smith 
Killed — Emigrated to Council Blufis — Came to Salt Lake — 
Trouble with the Government — Mormon Theology. 

Winding down a deep gulch, through which 
runs a mountain-stream, we came out upon the 
plateau that overlooks the great Salt Lake Val- 
ley from the south. It is a scene of rare natural 
beauty. Beyond and across, the plain spreads out 
from five to ten miles, with pretty farm-houses 
and herds of cattle. To the north it was lost in 
the dim distance, — the whole flat almost as a 
floor and sparkling with irrigating canals, and 
walled upon either side by hills that mount to 
the snow-line, and out from which flow the cool, 
sparkling waters that make this once-desert val- 
ley blossom under the hand of industry. 

The city, but a short way to the north, is reg- 
ularly and handsomely laid out, with many fine 
buildings, and is filled with thick gardens of 



330 romspert's travels 

trees and flowers that give it a fairy-land aspect. 
1^0 internal city of the continent lies in such a 
field of beauty. 

Water ie conveyed from a mountain-stream 
down to the city by a canal ; and bright, spark- 
ling pools course freely and constantly down its 
paved gutters upon either side of every street, 
keeping the shade-trees alive and growing, sup- 
plying drink for animals and water for house- 
hold purposes, and delightfully cooling the sum- 
mer-air. 

The trees, at the proper season, are almost al- 
ways loaded with the finest fruit; and the soil is 
favorable to the small grains. Forty and fifty 
bushels of wheat to the acre is an ordinary crop; 
and it is said that over ninety bushels have been 
raised. 

!N'o one seems poor. Ko beggar is seen in the 
streets. No prostitute lives here; and there are 
but few saloons in town. When a drunken man 
is seen, he is almost invariably a miner cr a sol- 
dier. The people are far more civil and quiet 
than is usual in these western parts. 

Great Salt Lake is a very great curiosity. It 
is about one hundred and forty m.iles long and 
from seventy to eighty wide, and is a vast col- 



THROUGH THE AVEST. 331 

lection of brine. The water seems to be satu- 
rated with salt to its utmost capacity of holding- 
it in solution, indicating the neighborhood of 
great deposits of mineral salt. Where the wind 
dashes the water upon the beach the salt collects 
in such quantities as to be conveniently shoveled 
into carts for domestic use. It is also procured 
by evaporation — five bucketfuls of water leaving- 
one of salt. 

The lake encompasses several islands, with 
high, mountainous peaks, among the largest 
of which is Church Island, situated so near the- 
eastern shore as to be accessible for grazing pur- 
poses, for which it is extensively used. The air 
is wonderfully pure and bright. Rain seldom 
falls in the valley, though storms occur in the 
mountains almost daily. A cloud comes up in 
the western hills, rolls along the crest and threat- 
ens the city with a deluge, but then breaks 
into wind and showers, and seems to run along 
the hill-tops and sail away eastward into the 
snowy range. 

While delighted to find the people all appar- 
ently so well circumstanced, we were also amused 
at their many curious peculiarities. There is 
one block in the city called "Temple Block."' 



^32 romspert's travels 

This is surrounded by a liigli and powerful stone 
wall. Inside of this wall stands the mighty gran- 
ite temple (yet unfinished), and also the taberna- 
cle. The tabernacle is built of adobes made from 
the blue clay from the mountain-foot. It is round, 
about eighty feet in diameter, with walls about 
thirty feet high. It is splendidly seated, and 
has a large gallery. There are large double 
doors all around, leaving columns of wall about 
ten feet between the doors. In warm weather 
these doors are all thrown open, and the building 
is a cool, delightful place. At one end stands 
the next to the largest pipe-organ in the world; 
next is a beautiful platform, which the band and 
choir of about seventy-five persons occupy; then 
comes the large, decorated, and comfortable 
chair in w^hich the president sits ; then the long 
sofa for the twelve apostles; then the pulpit for 
the ministers ; and then comes the congregation, 
who usually throng the house. The choir is 
•composed of cultured and beautiful singers; and 
sweeter music than I heard in that old tabernacle 
never met my ears. After the preaching is done 
and the songs are sun^, the president arises and 
prophesies, and the apostles cry out, ''Amen." 
The fictitious Mormon Bible that they claim was 



THROUGH THE WEST. 335 

found by Joe Smith in Mormon Hill has been 
changed and modified from time to time, and to- 
day they preach from nearly the same Bible as 
ours. They have services every Sabbath ; and all 
finding it possible, from the totterino^ infant to- 
the aged and gray, gather in to hear the word 
and listen to the prophecies. They take sacra- 
ment every Sabbath; but water is used instead of 
wine. I was in one of their throne-ed conorresfa- 
tions when the cup went around, and when it 
reached me my delight at the thought of getting 
a good big swallow of old Mormon wine was 
blighted by a cup of something that I had been 
drinking ever since I was a drinker. Neverthe- 
less, it went pretty well in warm weather. We 
happened to be there when the body of Rev. 
Joseph Stanley — a Mormon missionary w^ho was 
killed in Georgia — arrived for interment, and w^e 
had the pleasure of hearing the services. The 
sixth chapter of the Revelation of St. John was 
read, and the text was taken from the thirty- 
fourth verse of the tv.enty-third chapter of St. 
Matthew. The remarks were all tino*ed with 
vindication ; and the prophet indulged freely in 
threatening wrath upon their opposers. There 
were about fourteen thousand people present, 



SM romspert's travels 

and the strong language of the dignitaries ex- 
cited them to such a degree that I tried to look 
just as much like a Mormon as possible. 

There is a large church-building in which to 
store away the property belonging to the church; 
and from the poorest maiden at the wash-tub to 
the wealthiest merchant of the city, one tenth of 
everything that is made must be surrendered to 
the church. It is amusing to see how cheerfully 
the farmers trot off to the store-house with every 
tenth bushel of apples, or load of hay, or grain. 
This store is managed and run by the dignitaries, 
who dispose of the grains and fruits, and handle 
the silver and gold. And not being compelled 
to ever produce a balance-sheet, nor any account 
whatever, they have the funds entirely in their 
own fingers; and hence their fine mansions and 
flowery beds of ease. The poor ignorant dupes 
submit to all this, and appear to think that they 
are paving their way into heaven by lavishing 
luxuries upon their priesthood. 

At the other end of the valley stands the city 
of Ogden, which is about half as large as Salt 
Lake City, and not nearly so beautiful. About 
one tifth of the persons here are not Mormons, 
while at the other end there are very few who 



. THROUGH THE WEST. 335 

do not nestle in the folds of the church. The 
Central Pacific Railroad passes through Ogden, 
and sends off a branch called the Utah Central 
down to Salt Lake City. 

The lake lies several miles from the city, and 
there are several line bathing-houses on its 
shores. These are reached by narrow-gauge 
railroads ; and during the bathing-season great 
loads of gleeful boys and girls can be seen most 
every evening riding down to the beach to bathe. 

The rise of Mormondom has been so miracu- 
lous, and their superstitions are so curious and 
numerous, that a brief sketch of their career 
from the finding of the Bible by Joe Smith, to- 
gether with a part of their theology, may be in 
place here, and will doubtless be interesting to 
many of my readers. The following is what, 
with care and pains, I have been able to collect 
from interviews, records, and other sources : 

Joe Smith, jr., the putative father of Mormon- 
ism and the Church of Latter-da}^ Saints, was 
born in Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, De- 
cember 13, 1805. When he was seventeen years 
old he found a curious stone in the dirt thrown 
from a well. It w^as the shape of a child's foot, of 
a whitish, glassy appearance, though opaque, and 



336 



resembling quartz. He thought a great deal of 
the stone, and asserted the gift and power with 
it at his eyes of revealing things past and things 
to come. The discoveries soon became too daz- 
zling for his eyes in daylight, and he had to 
shade his vision by looking at the stone in his 
hat. There are fools in all ages; and Joe had 
his believers, who often came to him to And out 
where lost or stolen property was. He always 
charged; and though there was no reality in his 
pretentions, he succeeded in keeping the eyes of 
certain dupes covered. He would tell them 
where there was a large chest of money buried, 
and get them to digging, and he would stand by 
with his stone; but every time, just as they were 
almost to the treasure, the enchantment would 
be broken by some one speaking, or otherwise, 
and though he never found any money, they still 
believed. He made his dupes believe that while 
he was engaged in secret prayer in the wilder- 
ness an angel appeared and told him that all his 
sins had been forgiven, and proclaiming further 
that all the religious denominations were believ- 
ing false doctrines ; that none of them were ac- 
ceptable of God as of his church and kingdom ; 
and also promising him that the true doctrine 



THROUGH THE WEST. So 7 

and fullness of the gospel should at some future 
time be revealed to him. He was told that the 
American Indians were a remnant of the Israel- 
ites ; that their prophetic records regarding 
the last days were buried at a certain spot; 
that this spot was made known him, and him 
only, and that if he kept faithful he sliould be 
the chosen prophet to translate them to the 
world. A short time afterward he had another 
astonishing vision ; and he was commanded, upon 
a secretly-fixed day and hour, to go alone to a cer- 
tain spot revealed to liim by an angel, and there 
take out of the earth a metallic book of sfreat 
antiquity, which was of immortal importance 
to the w^orld, and which he said w^as a record 
of mystic letters of the long-lost tribes of 
Israel; that no human being besides himself 
could see it and live, and that the power to trans- 
late it to the nations of the earth was given 
to him only as the chosen servant of God. 

Smith's dupes and relations gave the report a 
wdde circulation ; and accordingly, when the 
appointed hour came, assuming his practical air 
of mystery, he took in his hand his money-dig- 
ging spade and a large napkin, and went off 
alone into the solitude of the forest. In three 

22 



338 romspert's travels 

boars he returned with his sacred charge con- 
cealed within the fokis of the napkin. He 
again warned his friends of the fatal consequen- 
ces of looking at it, and a strong chest was pro- 
cured and the charge kept under lock and key. 
He said that as he was digging for the treasure, 
he was confronted by ten thousand devils, gath- 
ered there with their menacing, sulphurous 
flame and smoke, to deter him from his purpose. 
The sacred treasure was never seen by mortal 
eyes save those of the anointed. 

About the 3^ear 1826 it became expedient to 
have a new revelation. The veritable existence 
of the book was certified to by eleven witnesses 
of Smith's own choosing; and wonderful stories 
and predictions followed in regard to the future 
light and destiny of the world. The spot from 
whence the book is said to have been taken is 
on tlie summit of a hill at Manchester, E'ew 
York, which has ever since been called Mormon 
Hill. The book, after the new revelation, was 
represented by Smith and his echoes as consist- 
ing of metallic leaves or plates resembling gold, 
bound together by three rings running through 
one edge of them and opening like a book. 
Smith translated the book and a certain school- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 339 

master did the writing ; and the new Bible went 
to print in the summer of 1830. 

Here was the organization of the first Mor- 
mon Church. Though great efforts and imposi- 
tions had been practiced upon the people, the 
scheme was generally ridiculed and the converts 
were few and of the most ignorant of the race ; 
^nd Smith coming to realize that a prophet was 
without honor in his own country, he, with his 
most fanatic followers, began to talk of going on 
^ mission into the western country to convert 
the Lamanites (meaning the Indians). In the 
year 1830 or 1831 they started on their western 
-expedition, stopping at Mentor, Ohio, where 
lived a few Mormon converts. 

Near this place is Kirfland, where they began 
a series of meetings ; and one hundred persons 
were added to the fold in a short time. Kirt- 
land, from about this period, became the head- 
quarters of the Mormons, where their church 
and colony were thoroughly organized and tem- 
porarily established. 

The next interest was to disseminate to the 
people the newly-revealed latter-day religion. 
The system of missionary labor was put in active 
requisition. The cause was pressed with zeal 



340 romspert's travels 

and effect. The trumpet of "the true gospel'^ 
was sounded to the gentiles. The superstitious 
and ignorant were captivated, and respectable 
men and women quaked amid the scenes. Con- 
versions were multiplied and multitudes rushed 
into the new Zion as if believing the last days 
were at hand in sober verity. Thus was the 
Mormon Church matured and the colony of the 
saints speedily enlarged. 

At length, finding himself surrounded and 
sustained by large and increasing numbers, — in- 
cluding some persons of ample pecuniary means, 
— Smith tried a bold venture upon their credu- 
lity in his own behalf. This was a revelation 
which he communicated to his disciples, to the 
effect that they should "immediately build a 
house for the prophet, in which he might live 
and translate." It was in 1832 or 1833 ; and the 
command was cheerfully accepted and obeyed. 

Another revelation, alike successful, shortly 
followed, commanding that "my chosen Joseph 
shall not labor for a livino;." Though the im- 
postor was scorned by intelligent people, his fol- 
lowers regarded him as almost deserving of ado- 
ration ; and he was enabled to revel in whatever 
luxury was most agreeable to his vulgar taste 



THROUGH THE WEST. 341 

and ambition. His power was now next to om- 
nipotent in Mormondom. 

Brigbam Young was converted and joined 
tbe Mormons at Kirtland in tbe year 1833. 
Like Smitb, be was a native of Vermont, being 
bis senior by four years. Brigbam was sbrewd, 
bold, and resolute, possessing an almost intuitive 
knowledge of men. He soon attracted tbe at- 
tention of bis bretbren, w^hom be swayed by bis 
strong, electric will, and was recognized as a 
man born to rule. He w^as soon ordained one 
of the quorum of twelve apostles tbat bad been 
organized. He preached with success ; and 
from that day till his death bis influence and 
power among the Mormons was resistless. 

Smith was constantly receiving new revela- 
tions ; and at length be discovered that those 
who had property were to pay all their surplus 
money into tbe hands of the bishop for the 
building of Zion, for the benefit of the priest- 
hood, and to pay the debts of the presidency of 
the church. "And ever after those who shall 
thus tithe shall pay one tenth of all their inter- 
ests annually ; and this shall be a standing law 
unto them forever for my holy priesthood, saith 
tbe Lord." This revelation was also received 



342 romspert's travels 

and cheerfully obeyed. A temple was erected at 
Kirtland at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, by 
contributions in money and labor obtained from 
the saints through the resistless power of 
Smith's revelation process. 

Mormonism, however, became distasteful to 
the unconverted people of Ohio, and particularly 
disgusting to the inhabitants near Kirtland. 
People were familiar with the source and history 
of the golden-bible scheme, and scorned the im- 
postor Smith beyond public tolerance. Smith 
now saw the necessity of another shift, and 
Jackson County, Missouri, was chosen for the 
new abode. A large tract of land was pur- 
chased here, and a town-site was laid out and 
called Independence. A division of the Mor- 
mons moved here, and the work of up-building 
was vigorously prosecuted in the year 1834. lo 
1836 the Mormon population consisted of about 
fifteen hundred, and the town was well advanced 
and business and printing-houses were estab- 
lished. 

Trouble arose here again with the citizens 
outside of the church, and the saints were ac- 
cused of stealing cattle and other property and 
of being connected with counterfeiting gangs 



THROUGH THE WEST. 343 

and various otlier criminal offenses. A meeting 
of the surrounding citizens Avas called to con- 
sider the subject of ridding themselves of the 
source of their annoyance, and it was resolved 
to expel the Mormons from the state. Riotous 
scenes followed, and several persons were killed. 
The state militia was called out. Smith armed 
his followers and determined to resist any repri- 
mand whatever. But they were too weak ; and 
the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hiram, with 
some forty others of the party, were imprisoned 
in the county jail. This ended the struggle; 
and the Mormons finally agreed Avith the state 
authorities that they would permanently leave 
the state. 

General Clark, commanding the militia in 
this affair, dispatched to Govern gr Boggs, in 
1838, as follows: "There is no crime, from trea- 
son down to petit larceny, but these people, or a 
majority of them, have been guilt}' of; all, too, 
under the counsel of Joe Smith, jr., the prophet. 
They have societies formed under the most 
binding covenants and horrid oaths to plunder, 
burn, and murder, and divide the spoils for the 
use of the church." 

The governor answered that the ringleaders 
of the rebellion should be made an example of; 



314 romspert's travels 

and, if necessary to the public peace, the Mor- 
mons should be exterminated or expelled from 
the state. 

The Mormons could no longer withstand the 
tide of opposition, and they concluded to quit 
Missouri with all haste. Their condition was 
now equal to the scattered tribes of their Baby- 
lonish ancestors, and before the close of the year 
1839 they had all left Missouri, — some returning 
to Ohio ; but the body, crossing the river into 
Illinois, established themselves in Hancock 
County, at a place which they called i^auvoo. 
In 1840 Nauvoo became the chief seat of Mor- 
mon! sm; and they were generally welcomed by 
the people of the surrounding country as perse- 
cuted exiles. Smith, seeing the sympathy in 
their behalf, 4ook advantage of the situation and 
urged his doctrine; and vast numbers were con- 
verted. 

Meantime Young and others had been sent as 
foreign missionaries to spread the gospel, and 
had received vivid encouragement in the East. 
In the year 1841 Young shipped several hun- 
dred of the faithful from Liverpool to New 
York, for the promised hind ; and organizations 
were left in England, Scotland, and Wales. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 345 

l^auvoo sprung up ; Mormonism was more 
than itself again ; and things went on smoothly. 
Smith had another vision, and was told that the 
saints should build for him a tine house. This 
command, like all other communications from 
the same source, was accepted as of heavenly 
authenticity. By his tithing process he had 
amassed a fortune estimated at a million of dol- 
lars; and he now reveled in luxury, played the 
gentleman, weighed two hundred and twenty 
pounds, had forty wives, and his children could 
not be enumerated with any accuracy. 

The revelation in favor of polygamy, however, 
was for years withheld as a secret from all but 
the dignitaries of the church. This interpola- 
tion of polygamy into what had been received 
by the disciples of Mormonism* as their estab- 
lished religious system caused great embarrass- 
ment in the church — for it was repugnant to the 
teachings of Smith's own Bible; and being also 
by the law of Illinois declared bigamy, and 
punishable by heavy fine and imprisonment in 
the penitentiary, the trouble was still aug- 
mented. The Illinois people were intolerant 
and restive in view of the vices and criminali- 
ties in various forms ascribed to the latter-day 



346 romspert's travels 

hypocrites. They were necessarily the sources 
of ill feelino^ and bitter hate between the com- 
munities, and from this time forward there was 
found no peace for the wicked. Charges of 
licentiousness, adultery, seduction, theft, dishon- 
esty, and crimes in greater variety than ever 
were brought against the doomed leaders and 
their bigoted followers. Slander suits were 
commenced on one side and criminal proceed- 
ings were instituted on the other; and litigation 
followed litigation j'^'^o and con. 

Attempts to arrest Smith and other dignitaries 
of the church were resisted by military power. 
The charge of treason was brought against the 
offending saints. Mormon defense against the 
Illinois authority was persisted in, and General 
Joe Smith, and his brother Hiram, at the head 
of the Nauvoo legion, opposed the state militia 
which had been called out to enforce obedience 
to the law. The aspect was threatening; and 
the governor, anxious to avoid the terrible 
slaughter impending, proposed to the Smiths a 
surrender as prisoners to the sheriff and the 
disbandment of the legion, as their only course 
of safety for their own lives and for their city. 
This proposal was at length acceded to — the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 347 

governor promising them protection against 
violence from the excited populace on their way 
to the jail and during their imprisonment. Ac- 
cordiug]}', the legal arrests were made; and the- 
Smiths, with Elder John Tajlor and Dr. Rich- 
ards, w^ere conveyed to the Carthage jail. Pur- 
suant to the governor's stipulation, the jail was 
placed under a military guard to protect the 
prisoners against the known existence of an 
avengeful feeling, particularly existing on the 
part of those whose domestic sanctums wxre al- 
leged to have been invaded by the cruel doctrine 
of polygamy. The prisoners were in the jail 
but a few daj^s when the guard was reduced by 
desertion, and in the afternoon of the 24th of 
June, 1844, the remnant of the guard were over- 
powered by a mob two hundred disguised and 
armed men, bent upon summary vengeance for 
their wrongs. The doors were burst open, the 
inmates were fired upon, and the Smiths were 
killed, Elder Taylor severely w^ounded, and Dr. 
Richards escaped to tell the tale. 

Great excitement prevailed, and Nauvoo was 
in commotion. The governor hastened to the 
scene, and measures were taken to prevent a 
general attack. He was incensed because the 



348 romspert's travels 

pledge he gave to the prisoners had been violated, 
•tind told the Mormons to defend themselves in 
the best way until he could send them protec- 
tion. But farther violence was happily averted. 
The immediate effect upon the Mormons of this 
appalling assassination, was to throw a halo of 
glory around his character as a martyr who had 
^sealed with his blood the truth of his divine 
pretensions. The soil of Mormonism had been 
fertilized by the blood of the Smiths, and a 
•church founded in falsehood and hypocrisy has 
been strengthened, if not perpetuated, by its 
:Supporting influence. Indeed, it is rational to 
believe that but for the opportunity thus afford- 
to fasten in enslaved, superstitious minds the 
impression of "martyrdom" of their patron 
saint, Mormonism would ere this have had its 
everlasting fall. 

Brigham Young was ambitious and very 
shrewd ; and standing very high in the estima- 
tion of his people, he was now unanimously 
elected to the presidency of the church, and 
maintained a despotic sway. In the course of a 
year or two, the people of Illinois determined to 
drive the whole tribe from the state; and seeing 
the necessity. Young and his counsel decided to 



THROUGH THE WEST. 34^ 

send a company to seek a new home in the West. 
The emigration commenced in February, 1846, 
and in August they arrived at a selected place 
upon the unoccupied prairies near Council 
Bluffs. Here they remained in tents during the 
next winter. Here the news of the Mexican 
War reached them; and Young apprehending 
ultimate conflict with the Mexican authorities, 
deemed it essential to be on good terms with the 
United States. Quick to perceive his opportunity, 
he sent an agent to Washington to tender a bat- 
talion to the Government. It was accepted, and 
Young received twenty thousand dollars from 
the Government for his services. 

Young, with a company of followers, then 
went upon another exploring expedition ; and se- 
lecting Salt Lake valley for the location of their 
future Zion, the saints were all informed, and in 
the year 1847 four thousand Mormons arrived 
in the valley. 

Young had not yet been accepted by the 
church as prophet, seer, and revelator, in the full 
celestial sense, as was the martyr Smith ; and as- 
soon as re-organization was secured, he called a 
meeting to consider the matter. He arose and 
solemnly professed communication with the 



550 romspert's travels 

spirit of Prophet Joseph; and going through 
with a series of impressive mimicries of his 
predecessor in his peculiar style of adroitness, he 
completely convinced his audience, and ever 
since this successful experiment it is believed 
that the mantle of Joseph fell upon Brigham; 
and by a vote he was declared the " Prophet of 
the Lord." 

Utah Territory was organized by act of Con- 
gress in the year 1850, and Young received the 
United States appointment of territorial gov- 
•ernor for Utah. Large accessions of emigrants, 
^ent forward by missionaries, rapidly increased 
the Mormon numbers in Salt Lake ; and in the 
jear 1853, the corner-stone of the temple at Salt 
Lake City was laid. About two thousand people 
were present, and the ceremonies were in the 
highest style of Mormon grandeur. Governor 
Young made the leading address on the occasion, 
saying that the saints were about to make their 
third attempt to build a temple to the Lord, and 
asking his followers to pay their tithes in cheer- 
ful promptitude, promising Grod's blessing on 
them who do his will. He declared that the 
very ground where he stood had been revealed 
to him for seven years past as the place where 



THROUGH THE WEST. 351 

the temple should stand. The building is an 
immense structure, and is calculated to seat 
eighteen thousand people. It is being built of 
granite taken from the mountain at the side of 
the valley, and is yet unfinished. It is a mag- 
nificent structure, of which the saints are very 
proud. 

Soon anti-Mormons began to settle in the val- 
leys east of the Sierra Nevada for the purposes 
of mining and stock-raising; and the Mormons 
becoming alarmed, determined to expel them 
vi et armis. Both parties armed and fortified 
themselves; but the Mormons soon saw their 
folly and gave up the scheme. Trouble is, 
however, continually brewing between the Mor- 
mons and anti-Mormons wherever they meet; 
and that they will never and can never live to- 
gether in peace under one government is inevi- 
table. The conflict that took place between them 
in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, and is now 
going on in Utah, ought to be enough to con- 
vince any intelligent man of this fact. The 
Mormons themselves acknowledge it ; and so 
long as they adhere to their present belief, — that 
an absolute theocracy is the only government 
under which they can and should live, — they 



352 romspert's travels 

never will be loyal to our government and 
countrymen; and hence their hostility to our 
institutions and people, and their inflexible de- 
votion to their own. Their settlements lie in 
the great pathway which leads to the Pacific 
country, and they have been standing a lion in 
the path, — encouraging the savages, if not aiding 
them, in immigrant mascacres. The Munuuns 
had become so insolent that it was thousrht best 
in 1857 to send troops to Utah with the civil 
officers appointed to that territory. 

In 1863, Stephen H. Harding was appointed 
governor of Utah. Congress passed an act to 
punish and prevent the practice of polygamy in 
the territories; and they, considering the act 
unconstitutional, refused to obey it as law. 
Governor Harding declaring in favor of the act, 
the pent-up fires of saintly wrath now broke 
forth. A meeting was again called, and in his 
enthusiastic way Young denounced Governor 
Harding as a black-hearted abolitionist, and 
asking his people if they would recognize him 
as their governor. And being answered no, that 
he was their governor, he said, "Yes, I am your 
governor; and if he attempt to interfere in my 
business, w^oe, w^oe be unto him." A committee 



THROUGH THE WEST. 



353 



was appointed to wait upon the governor and 
request him to resiojn his office and leave the 
territory. In reply, Harding said that as this 
was a land of prophecy, he too would prophesy. 
"If, while in the discharge of my duties, one 
drop of my blood be shed by your ministers of 
vengeance, it will be avenged; and not one stone 
nor adobe m this city will be left upon another. 
I have now done, and you understand me." 

No acts of violence followed, and terms of 
mutual conciliation were effected. This is Utah, 
and these are the Mormons. From year to year 
there is trouble; and at the present— BngMm 
Young having died several years ago— there is 
contention between the Government and the 
Nauvoo legion. 

The theology of the saints is subject to 
change, by revelation, at the caprice of the 
prophet. The following is part of what they 
believe: There are many gods of both sexes; 
but to us there is but one God— the Father of 
mankind and Creator of the earth. God is in 
the form of man. He has a body of spiritual 
matter. He resides in the center of the earth, 
near the planet Kolob. This planet revolves on 
its axis once in a thousand of our years, and one 



23 



354 



revolution of the Kolob is a day to the Almighty. 
The Holy Spirit is a subtile fluid like electricity, 
and perv^ades all space. By its agency all mira- 
cles — which are simply the efl^ects of the opera- 
tion of natural laws — are performed. The Holy 
Spirit is communicated by the laying on of 
hands of one of the authorized priesthood, and 
the recipient is then enabled to perform wonders 
according to his gift, — some having the gift of 
prophecy, some of healing, some of speaking in. 
unknown tongues, etc. There are three heavens 
— the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial. 
The telestial and terrestial heavens are to be oc- 
cupied by the various classes of persons who 
have neither obeyed nor rejected the gospel. 
The celestial or highest heaven is reserved for 
those who received the testimony of Jesus and 
were baptized. The earth, as purified and re- 
fined after the second coming of Christ, is to be 
the final habitation of those entitled to the glo- 
ries of the celestial kingdom. Jerusalem is to 
be rebuilt ; and Zion, or the New Jerusalem, is 
to be built in Jackson County, Missouri, from 
whence the saints were expelled in 1833. There 
is a fourth class of persons, who shall go into 
everlasting punishment with the devil and his 



THROUGH THE WEST. 355 

angels. Tkey are those who sin against the 
Holy Ghost. The gospel that all people must 
obey to gain a place in the celestial heaven is : 
First, they must believe in Jesus Christ as the 
Son of God and in his authorized priesthood; 
second, they must repent of their sins; third, 
they must be baptized by immersion for the re- 
mission of their sins ; and fourth, they must re- 
ceive the laying on of hands for the gift of the 
Holy Ghost. "God, having become nearly lost 
to man, revived his work by revealing himself 
to Joe Smith and conferring upon him the keys 
of everlasting priesthood, thus making him the 
mediator of the new dispensation, which is im- 
mediately to precede the second coming of 
Christ." All those who recognize the divine 
authority of Smith and are baptized are the 
chosen people of God, who are to introduce the 
millennium and to reign with Christ a thousand 
years. 

There are many secrets in the organization 
which the saints are sworn to keep under heavy 
penalty, it is said ; but this is a sketch of them, 
and is as good and full an account as I am able 
to give to be consistent with my purpose. 



356 romspert's travels 



CHAPTER lY. 

We Leave Salt Lake — Reach the Sierra Nevada Slopes — Tun- 
nels, Gorges, etc. — Reach California — Sacramento — San 
Francisco — Hotel Runners — Fruits — Palace Hotel — Chinese 
— Dennis Kearney and Party — De Young-Kalloch Tragedy 
— Chinese Bakers — California Climate — Ships — Golden Gate 
— Woodward Garden — Portland, Oregon — Washington Ter- 
ritory—Sail for Santa Barbara and Los Angeles — Prescott, 
Arizona — Meet General Fremont — Big Trees — Return to 
Ohio. 

We camped in Salt Lake valley nearly three 
weeks, and our stay had been so agreeable that 
it appeared to ns but a day. We now concluded 
to sell our outfit and take passage on the train 
for California, the land of gold. The property 
was soon sold and tickets were purchased, and we 
stepped aboard. Our new team snorted and its 
breath curled gracefully upward, and we moved 
smoothly up the valley near the beach of the 
great salt sea. We had been toiling up the 
rocky sides and rolling down the barren slopes 
so long that we had become somewhat used to 
slow, plodding travel, and were delighted with 



THROUGH THE WEST. 



357 



the ease and speed with which we were now 
winding our way toward the Pacific shores. 

We soon passed out from between the tower- 
ing, snow-capped walls, and crawling along the 
hill-sides we soon came upon a dry, sandy desert 
where ofttimes a spire of grass could not be seen 
for several miles. The little lakes and stream- 
lets lay miles apart, and their brinks were all 
powdered with alkali while their waters were as 
bitter as the essence of gall. The whole face of 
the plain was covered with thick, spraddling 
sage-brush, which stood in the sands like sap- 
lings in a new forest; but not even the smallest 
animal or insect nestled or sung among the 
limbs. A strong puff of wind roars over the 
desert, and the sand rises in the air and looks 
like a great column of light colored smoke. 
"Where the brush stand in thick clumps the sand 
lodges ; and the brush sprouting out every year, 
the drift grows to a large mound. As we passed 
along they glistened in the bright sunlight on 
either side of the way. 

There are section-houses built at the end of 
every division of the road, and large, powerful 
wind-pumps roll the water into the tanks from 
far below the burnins: sand. The section-hands 



358 romspert's travels 

stay in these houses; and their necessaries are 
brought them by the company. These hands 
are usually Chinamen; and passing them at 
noon they will be found seated in the sand 
around a pot of rice, greedily eating their only 
food. 

Near many of these tanks small parties of 
Indian squaws, girls, papooses, and some old 
men, of the Shoshone and Winnemucca tribes, 
were wallowing in the sand, with nothing but a 
few skins stretched over the tops of the brush 
to shelter them from the blazing orb; and when 
the engine stopped to take w^ater these filthy 
creatures would run along each side of the train 
and ask for biscuits. Many travelers have their 
lunch along ; and the beggars seldom fail to get 
their arms filled from the open windows. 

When the train was in motion there was a 
breeze; but in every direction the heat curled 
and dangled upward from the scorching sands 
like rays from a fiery furnace. It was a dreary, 
lonesome ride ; and we sat by the windows peer- 
ing out over the little sand-mounds that rose in 
the distance until the pine-covered slopes of the 
Sierra Nevadas broke the monotony, and the 
breath of the monntain wafted through the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 359 

open car. How delightful to be among the 
pretty green trees again, and to get a draught 
from the clear, cool waters that roll out from 
the mountain-rocks where the little conies 
sport among tlie crags. 

We had often heard of the great tunnels and 
snow-sheds, and the might}' tills along the Cen- 
tral Pacific line. We were now actually 06- 
seri?m(7 the famous pass- way ; and there was no 
part of our journey that presented such a vast 
amount of interesting and beautiful scenery. 
Sometimes we would wind along the steep side 
of the mountain, far above the tops of the trees 
in the valley below; and to look out and see the 
crystal waters gush from the bluff and dash 
down over the rocky precipices and lash into 
foam among the pines is grand beyond mention. 

Soon the conductor comes through the car, 
ordering all heads and arms to be drawn in and 
the windows and doors closed, and warning the 
passengers not to get frightened. Then a flutter 
goes through the car, and the timid breathe short 
and quick. What is to happen? All of a sud- 
den the light is eclipsed, the timid females shriek 
wildly, and we are winding through the dark, 
narrow tunnel, far into the mountain. It is 



360 romspert's travels 

dark as midnight. The rolling of the .car- 
wheels roars like thunder, and the smoke from 
the engine pours in through every crevice. At 
length we suddenly dart into the light again. 
A din of relief goes through the car, the 
windows are thrown up, and everybody is anx- 
ious to look back at the dismal tunnel. As the 
front cars are winding around the valleys and 
over the gorges, and the rear cars are coming 
out of the mountain, the train looks like a huge 
serpent crawling from its gloomy den. Now we 
come into a mighty cut, where the prints of the 
pick and shovel are seen in the hard earth, and 
the great walls qn either side are left rough 
with the blast; and now we run over a fill, and 
the steady heads look out into the swimming 
space. These are the scenes for many miles ; 
and when considering the immense amount of 
labor it must have required to pierce the mount- 
ains of rock and fill up the almost bottomless 
gorges, a person is forced to exclaim, " Wonder- 
ful, wonderful man ! " 

There are the most beautiful trees growing 
upon the slopes; and in spite of the eftbrts of 
the Government to save the timber upon its va- 
cant lands, saw-mills are buzzing in almost every 



THROUGH THE WEST. 



361 







gorge, and the finest lumber is sliipped to the 
East and West. Fortunes liave been made at 
this, and they are being made to-day in spite of 



862 romspert's travels 

the penalty. There are also nurr.erous mines 
along the way. At some places the whole 
mountain appears to have been turned upside 
down, and the muddy waters slush down the 
rocky rifts. 

Our train was heavily loaded, and two engines 
were required at some places to haul us up the 
mighty grades ; and the puffing of the powerful, 
six-wheel drivers echoed loudly down the canons. 
Trains are compelled to run very slow here; and 
-baTids of robbers sometimes board tiiem, and, 
under cover of revolvers and guns, rob the crew. 

We at length left the Sierra Nevadas to the 
east and ran out upon the plains of California — 
the beautiful, level land of gold. We had now 
reached the famous wheat country, — where it is 
said single farmers sometimes raise ten and fif- 
teen thousand acres, — and were sailing through 
the renowned delightful and healthy climate. 
As we rolled over the level plain, where we 
could see for many miles in any direction, the 
platforms and windows were crowded with per- 
sons all anxious to view the great California, 
whose veins are gold, and whose influence has 
lain many human bodies among the rifts and 
gulches of the bleak and lonely mountains. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 368 

Much of the country is unfenced; and when 
otherwise, the fiekls usually contain many hun- 
dred acres. At many places along the track 
there are large uncovered platforms built up^ 
and thousands of bushels of grain lay there in 
sacks ready for shipment. They say they never 
put their grain in barns, but thrash it in the 
fields and haul it to the platforms, sometimes 
leavinor it there for several weeks and months 
before shipping ; for there is no danger of rain 
until the wet season sets in. The grain is all 
headed. 

The road being so level and straight, the train 
iiew swiftly along; and we soon saw the spires 
and steeples of the capital city glittering in the 
distance. Coming into Sacramento the train 
stopped for refreshments; and before the wheels 
stopped rolling the cars were boarded by swarms 
of hotel-runners, who almost tried to force the 
passengers to go with them to their different ho- 
tels. Some of our comrades went along; but 
we had heard of the great numbers and extreme 
insolence of the runners of Sacramento and San 
Francisco, and from the looks of them they were 
but a gang of thieves, so we concluded to hunt 
our own hotels and tend to our own business. 



364 



Sacramento is a lovely place, with pretty, wide 
streets, many of which are made cool and de- 
lightful by large willows standing along either 
eide, and whose green, limber branches meet 
above and droop over the way. The capitol is 
a large building, and in shape and color re- 
sembles the White House. 

From here we again renewed our journey, 
and at last entered the city of Oakland, on the 
shore of the briny bay. The dry deserts and 
rugged mountains had been crossed, and we 
were finally looking upon the home of the tide, 
where the sea-gull sports upon the waves. 

Frisco (San Francisco) lies across the bay — a 
distance of about eight miles — from Oakland, 
and there are large steam-ferries continually 
passing back and forth. We went aboard the 
ferry ; and the trip was so pleasant that we 
thought we would like to cross the ocean. Sev- 
eral runners came over to Oakland to talk with 
the passengers as they crossed the bay; but on 
reaching the Frisco shore, I swear I never saw 
the like, and it would be impossible to describe 
the scene. There must have been seventy-five 
runners there from the diflferent hotels, all anx- 
ious to take you to a good house. There were 



THROUGH THE WEST. 365 ^ 

sometimes several from one house, and their 
busses were all backed up in a row. As soon as 
tlie ferry touched the wharf these fellows rushed 
wildly on board, crying out the name ot their 
hotels and grabbing the luggage from the hands 
of the passengers, and endeavoring to drag them 
to their hacks. Sometimes a couple get hold of 
the person, and a couple get hold of his luggage, 
each wanting to take him and his property in 
different directions; and then there is a time. 
His clothes are sometimes torn almost off him, 
his satchel is torn to pieces, and he finds him- 
self perfectly helpless in the hands of the mob; 
for if he lets go and goes to strike, some one 
will run off with his property. There is always 
a great crowd of people; and in the surging and 
crowding, and high excitement, many pockets 
are picked, and much luggage is lost by the 
owner not following the snatcher as he runs off 
for the hack. The boys run down each others 
hotels, one saying, "They don't have anything 
but rotten fish to eat at that house;" another 
saying, "They have lousy beds at that house;" 
and another warning all persons not to go to 
either for they are robbers, and they will charge 
five dollars per day when they have you fast. 



S^Q 



!N'ow, to see several of these fellows all pleading 
earnestly with a plain old conscientious farmer 
who takes everything for the truth is entirely 
too funny. He first looks at one and then at 
the other, not knowing which one to trust. We 
were well fixed ; for some of us could carry the 
luggage while the others knocked down the 
runners. The better way is to get the name of 
some good hotel before you get there, and then 
look for the 'bus and make for it. In any case, 
persons should securely fasten their luggage to 
them with ropes. 

The surface is level for a couple of hundred 
yards back from the bay, and it then ascends 
sharply to the top of a high ridge running par- 
allel with the bay. The surface is barren, and 
the sand is deep and soft. On this level strip 
and against this steep, sandy hill stands the 
great city of San Francisco. The house-founda- 
tions are all laid deeply, to get below the sand ; 
and the streets are all paved with several layers 
of round rocks, with nothing to smooth the sur- 
face. There is nearly always a pretty strong 
wind stirring, and the streets have to be kept 
perfectly clean. For this purpose large street- 
sweepers are drawn over the road by horses 



THROUGH THE WEST. 367 

every day, and spi inkling is done besides. The 
riding and driving over these rocks is very disa- 
greeable ; and the horses do not usually last very 
long. To see them drawing their great loads up 
the steep hill-side, slipping, sliding, and strain- 
ing every nerve, and sometimes falling upon 
their knees on the stones, is an ugly sight in- 
deed. The large w^holesale houses all have 
heavy trucks ; and many of the finest teams I 
ever saw were hauling these trucks. 

There is an immense quantity of the very 
largest and finest fruits raised in California 
every year. I believe I have seen as many 
grapes, pears, peaches, and melons in the streets 
of San Francisco in one day as there are raised 
in the State of Ohio in a whole year. I have 
seen several millions of fine melons lying in a 
single heap. There are several mammoth fruit- 
stores here, and hundreds of bushels, during the 
season, are daily loaded upon the ships for other 
countries. I might also add that, though Cali- 
fornia fruits are large and beautiful, much of it 
lacks the flavor of eastern fruits, — perhaps from 
the fact that during its growth it gets no rain 
but depends solely on the heavy dew for its 
nourishment. 



368 romspert's travels 

There are street-cars on almost every street; 
and tbey are run up and down the incline by en- 
gines stationed at the top of the hill. It is very 
pleasant ridin^y up and down here, and the cars 
are full on almost every trip. 

Though there are some very large, fine build- 
ings, the city is very ordinary on this score, 
there being also many little old shanties stuck 
here and there all through tlie place. The Pal- 
ace Hotel is the finest building in the city, and 
is said to be the largest hotel in the world. It 
is built of beautiful polished stone, is seven sto- 
ries high, contains seven hundred and twenty- 
five rooms, and takes up a whole square, front- 
ing upon every side. In the center of the build- 
ing there is a round space of abont twenty yards 
in diameter running from the bottom to the top; 
and there are walks all around this from each 
story. Persons are let up and down bere by ele- 
vators. There is a large, beautiful rockery all 
decorated with lovely flowers in the center of 
this space; and the clear, cool water from a 
pretty fountain is thrown high in the air and de- 
scends softly and refreshingly upon the tender 
roses and mossy rocks. There is a grand arch- 
way leading into this area from one of the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 369 

streets, and carriages are driven through this 
and around the beautiful rockery where the air 
is fragrant with the sweet breath of the flowers. 
Guests are thus lifted into and out of their car- 
riages always in the dry. The house is in all 
respects a i^rfect structure, and is furnished 
with the finest and most costly furniture. The 
rates are from five to ten dollars per day ; though 
good boarding can be had in the city for from 
four to six dollars per week. Here is where 
General Grant and party put up when they 
reached San Francisco in their trip round the 
world. The other principal houses are the 
Baldwin, Franklin, Central Pacific, and Hotel 
Rhein. 

There are great numbers of saloons, gambling- 
houses, and variety-show^s, and whole gangs of 
the very lowest prostitutes in the city. A large 
proportion of the inhabitants are the rakings of 
many nations ; and I feel very sure that there is 
not another city sitting upon the shores of the 
Pacific Ocean of more notorious lewdness and 
low vices than this place. 

We heard much about the Chinese, and had 
seen a few ; but here were thousands of them, of 
every shape and size. The business-houses on 

24 



370 romspert's travels 

each side of one of tlie streets for a half n\ile 
through the city are ahiiost exclusiv^ely occupied 
by them. Their business ranges from the thea- 
ter down to the poultry-pen. This street is 
called China Street. 

Verj few of the Chinamen have brought their 
wives over with them, and the females who are 
here are nearly all prostitutes; so the men do 
their own cooking and washing. They are 
nearly all good at this, however; and I have 
learned that they are taught to do this in their 
native land. It appears that none of them come 
to this country with the intention of staying, 
but intend only to make little fortunes and then 
take it back to China ; and it is said that the 
bones of every deceased one are sent home for 
interment. They are therefore very economical, 
and live almost exclusively on rice and cooked 
fish. The former they have shipped from China 
by the wholesale, and the latter they catcli 
themselves; so that grub costs them very little. 

At meal -time groups of from six to twelve 
gather round a large pot of rice and a great 
dish of cooked fish and take their meals. Each 
person is provided wnth a cup, and two little 
sticks, about the size of a lead-pencil, which 



THROUGH THE WEST. 371 

they hold in their fingers like a bone-rattler 
holds his bones. The rice is dipped into the 
cup and the cup is placed to the lips ; and as 
they rake the rice into their mouths with the 
sticks it makes an observer think of playing the 
jew's-harp. !N'ow and then they reach over and 
clamp a piece of fish between the sticks. And 
they appear to relish this food as much as though 
it were the richest delicacy. 

At night they gather in squads and crouch to- 
gether upon the floor like hogs. They have but 
a few blankets for beds. By living in this way 
their expenses are consequently very light ; and 
the poor, laboring white man is underbidden in 
his labor, while the slaving washer-woman is 
driven from her tub by this heathen competition. 

The sorrowful consequences of Chinese com- 
petition can never be realized until once ob- 
served. Some say it is right, — that what one 
human lives on, another should be able to. 
But I say shame on the person who would ask, 
or even wish to see his fellow-man live as do 
these vile, filthy, heathen competitors. We boast 
of our land and Government as being the pride 
of the world, the asylum of the oppressed, the 
home for the weary, w^here labor is fairly reward- 



372 romspert's travels 

ed, and where human happiness is not all 
drowned by the necessary cares of life. To ask 
this competition is to ask our laboring brothers 
to live as the subjects of the most wicked tyrant 
on the earth, and our poor sisters as she w^ho 
comes down the foreign hill-side with a great 
load upon her head, knitting on the way. There 
are about fifty thousand in the city ; and every 
ship from China brings more to the shore. It 
is needless to say that the laboring classes are 
indignant at the outrage, and that the city is 
constantly in the wildest commotion. In their 
part of the town tliey have dark secret excava- 
tions in the earth, entered by trap-doors and 
narrow passes, and in here are their opium-dens, 
and gambling-hells, and prostitution apartments. 
!No ray of sunlight ever reaches these cells; and 
the fumes of tilth and crime ooze out of the 
crevices like smoke from a kiln. There are 
some back streets in which it is not safe to travel 
after dark; and the air is contaminated with the 
most loathsome, contagious, and dangerous dis- 
eases. Some of these low places have been 
broken up by the police ; but they have never 
been able to find half of them. 

There are three political parties in California 
— the Republican, Democratic, and the Work- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 373 

ingmen's Party of California (W. P. C.) — the 
latter led by Dennis Kearney. We were there 
during the campaign of 1879, and more excite- 
ment I never saw. The only issue was the 
Chinese question; and each candidate would 
hop upon a wagon or store-box every night, and 
cry out, "Elect me, and the Chinese with their 
leprosy shall be driven from the state. Vote for 
me, and I will make hell a paradise," etc., etc. 
The W. P. C. is composed of the vile dregs of 
almost every nation ; and decency and manhood 
are not to be found in its ranks. Dennis Kear- 
ney is a rash, illiterate, blood-thirsty fiend, whose 
regular business is draying — an occupation he is 
only calculated for ; and to see this mob parading 
the streets, with Chinamen stamped upon their 
banners in all horrible positions, shouting, pro- 
faning, and declaring open violence to the Chi- 
nese and all persons who speak for them, is 
enouo:h to disojust man with his fellow- kindred. 
The question is worthy of agitation; but vio- 
lence is not the instrument with which to cure 
the evils of a civilized world. Kearney is bold, 
rash, and ambitious; and these are the qualities 
admired by such people as belong to the W. P. 
C. It is wonderful, the influence this man has 
over his followers. 



374 romspert's travels 

Most persons know about the DeYoung-Kal- 
locli tragedy ; and the truth is as follows, for I 
was there and saw the shooting: DeYoung was 
the editor of the Chronicle (a Republican paper), 
and I. M. Kalloch was a minister — a smart man, 
but one whose religion was as transient as the 
morning dew, and who, wishing a political 
benefit, stepped from the sacred altar into the 
polluted ranks of Kearney's howling mob. He 
was nominated for mayor of the citj^, and went 
about agitating and encouraging his party to 
violence in the strongest language. He abused 
the leaders of other parties in bitter phrases ; 
and upon one occasion referred to DeYoung as 
a lousy bastard, nursed and reared in the lap of 
a prostitute, and whose life was poison to San 
Francisco. DeYoung got to hear of the infa- 
mous charges made against his poor old mother, 
whose body was laid in the grave, and, unable to 
control liis temper, he hired a coupe and negro to 
drive him to Kalloch's house, and sent in for him 
to come out, saying that a lady wished to see 
him. As he came near the coupe, DeYoung flung 
open the door and tired upon him, one ball passing 
into his body and another into his groins. He 
fell. But before DeYoung could finish his work 



THROUGH THE WEST. 375 

a mob turned over the coupe and jerked him out ; 
and but for the brave police, he would have been 
mangled beyond recognition in a few minutes. 
De Young was bound over in bail of twenty 
thousand dollars, to answer the charge of shoot- 
ing with inte!it to kill ; but before he was tried 
he was killed by his victim's son. I. M. Kal- 
loch recovered from his wounds, and, having 
been elected, served the city as mayor. 

DeYoung was murdered by young I. S. Kal- 
loch as follows: One evening, a little after twi- 
light, — after I. M. Kalloch was sound and well, 
and was tilling his office, — DeYoung came from 
his home and entered his office; but before he 
got behind the desk, I. S. Kalloch, who had been 
prowding around the building watching his oppor- 
tunity, rushed through the door and fired upon 
his victim. His first two shots took slight effect; 
and DeYoung was behind his desk and had his 
own pistol raised when a third ball from his as- 
sailant entered his mouth and laid him dying 
upon the floor at the feet of his brother Michael. 
The murderer was seized and put in jail, and the 
Workingmen's Party called a meeting at the 
Sand Lots and had a grand jollification over the 
result; and extravagant eulogiums were heaped 



376 romspert's travels 

upon young Kalloch, who was so brave and who 
served his party so well. He had his trail; and 
though clearly guilty of murder in the first de- 
gree, and deserving of blackest torture known to 
the law, he was acquitted on the ground of self- 
defense. His party was overjoyed at the result, 
and loading him in a carriage they pulled him 
b}^ liand all over the city. 

Charles DeYoung was a bitter partisan, and 
made use of extravagant language from the 
stump, but I. M. Kalloch was infinitely worse ; 
and though the latter made a low, cowardly as- 
sault upon a poor old woman whose body w^as 
returning to the dust from whence it came, and 
should have been stoned from the stand, De- 
Young was certainly not justified in his shooting 
at the time he did it, and should have been pun- 
ished ; but it was clearly not the part of the Kal- 
lochs, who came down out of the pulpit and 
placed themselves at the head of the ranks of 
an indecent mob, to administer it. Excitement 
was runnino^ hic^h at the time DeYouns: shot 
Kalloch, and the Chinese, knowing that they 
w^ere the cause of the trouble, were daily ex- 
pecting an outbreak. When the report of the 
pistol was heard, and people rushed to and 



THROUGH THE WEST. 377 

fro, Chinatown was in a stir; and every little old 
back shed and kitchen-roof was covered with 
Chinamen with shot-guns and big rocks, fully 
expecting an attack, and determined to fight it 
out. Such jabbering one never heard. Terror 
reigned supreme, and mobs of indecent, beastly 
wretches ran through the streets crying for vio- 
lence and mob-law. A meeting of the party 
was called to determine what to do; and in the 
afternoon several thousand people assembled at 
the Sand Lots — a couple of lots just outside the 
corporation, where the sand is very deep, and 
where the W. P. C.'s held their meetings. The 
assembly was addressed by several of the leaders. 
Whenever a man would get up and did not talk 
straight "hang," he was jerked down and the 
mob would yell like tigers; but when a speaker 
would cry for blood, and pollute the very air 
with profanity, the hearts would beat quick and 
the eyes glisten. There were several guns and 
pistols glistening in the crowd, and for awhile 
things looked a little like hanging; and the party 
being in a majority in the city, it could have 
been accomplished. But about the time the reso- 
lution was to be adopted a dispatch was receiv- 
ed from Kearney (who was away), asking them 



378 romspert's travels 

to wait until he arrived. By this time the jail 
was surrounded by a strong military guard, and 
the violence was not attempted. 

Such is W. P. C, and such is the true history 
of the DeYoung-Kalloch troubles. I have, per- 
haps, dwelt longer upon this subject than I have 
been justified in doing; but I was so utterly dis- 
gusted with the beastly actions of these villains, 
and so fully impressed with the violence threat- 
ened to justice, and the danger into which a 
government is plunged where illiteracy takes the 
throne, that I could not refrain. 

When it was known that the Grant party 
were to stop in the city, the citizens began to 
prepare for a grand reception. But Kearney 
called a meeting of his followers and denounced 
the Republican party in severest epithets. He 
called General Grant its leader, and denounced 
him as a tyrant who was seeking the power of 
the nation, and told his men not to turn out in 
the parade, but while they were marching 
through the streets they would meet at the Sand 
Lots and burn General Grant in eliigy. The 
speech took great effect on the party, and it 
looked as though it would be hardly safe for the 
general to come to the city. Several of the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 379 

good, resolute citizens waited upon Kearney 
and told hira that if he ever attempted to carry 
out his threats his body would be pierced with 
a thousand bullets. The warning was sufficient; 
and on the arrival of the party, Kearney and his 
minions were quiet; and the Republican party 
lired thirty salutes from the Sand Lots in honor 
of the greatest general on earth. 

We were in the city on election-day; and such 
a time I never saw. The Ohio boys who talk of 
political excitement ought to have been there. 
There were eighty special police appointed, and 
on nearly every corner there was a iight. Three 
men were shot, several were wounded, and the 
station-houses were crowded. The W. P. C.'s 
carried the city, but the state went Republican. 

The Chinese question is a cloud hanging over 
California ; and what the result will be can not 
be told. Surely some modification of the Bur- 
lingame treaty is needed as badly as a protection 
tariff. There are about fifty thousand in the 
city of Frisco, and they are scattered in almost 
every city in the state. Large societies are or- 
ganized, and all joiners pledge themselves not to 
employ Chinese labor; and thoup-h many join^ 
some of the big employers work to their own 



380 



ROMSPERT S TRAVELS 



interests, and employ those who can be got the 
cheapest, be they Chinamen or not. Many of 
the large hotels and bakeries employ Chinese; 
and more beautiful bread, biscuits, and pies than 
they turn out were never seen. The secret of 
their success has been discovered, however, and 
they have been driven off in some places. They 
fill their mouth with warm water, and with a 
peculiar whist they blow it out in sprays as fine 
as the morning mist, over the dough while 
kneading. In this way the dough is worked 
and rolled in good order, and then placed in the 
oven. When it is of a delicate brown it is drawn 
out, a lump of butter is melted in the mouth 
and then blown over it, and the crust becomes 
soft as sponge. To persons with calloused stom- 
achs, or to those who are ignorant of the process, 
it is perfectly delicious. As for us, we did not 
choose to eat spit, be it native or imported. 
The laundry-men dampen their clothes in the 
same way; and when several are at work in the 
same house they make almost as much noise as 
the cylinder-cocks on a steam-engine, and you 
can hear them clear out on the street. 

California is noted for its beautiful, even cli- 
mate. There are two seasons — the wet and the 



THROUGH THE WEST. 381 

dry. The former sets in about ^N'ovember first 
and continues until about April first. During 
this season it rains almost every day, and the 
sun is hidden sometimes for several weeks at a 
time; and except in the mountains, it seldom 
gets cold. During the dry season there is no 
rain, and crops are nourished by the heavy dews 
This is the reason corn does no good here. The 
summers are usually warm. The temperature 
has been known to reach 120°, and little birds 
have been seen to drop sufibcated from the trees. 
The mornings and evenings of the warmest days 
are usually so cool, from the sea-breeze, that fire 
is comfortable and persons can sleep under a 
pair of blankets. It is usually about ten o'clock 
before fog clears away sufficient to let through 
the rays of the sun. Of course there is some 
ditference between the climate of the northern 
and the southern parts of the state. 

The ocean, to us, was the subject of great at- 
traction ; and we loved to sit upon a blutf at the 
beach and see the tide come rolling in and hear 
it roar as the briny spray was lashed up against 
the rocky shores and tossed back into foam, and 
see the multitudes of ships anchored in the bay, 
whose rigging looked like a vast net-work. 



382 romspert's travels 

We saw ships here nearly five hundred feet 
h)ng, which drew twenty-three feet of water and 
were twenty feet out of the water. To see these 
great ships going out and coming in is a grand 
sight indeed. As they plow through the water 
the brine is churned into foam and the waves 
roll several feet high behind them, and the sur- 
face is left disturbed far in the rear. It is pleas- 
ant to see a ship from a foreign port draw up to 
the wharf and hear the warm greetings of 
friends. The wharf is all lined with persons, — 
many anxious to see some one, — and when the 
planks are thrown out they rush on board ; and 
to see the warm embraces and affectionate sa- 
lutes of dear friends whom the briny waves 
rolled between for perhaps several years is 
enough to hurry the blood in one's veins and lift 
his heart high in his bosom. But, on the other 
hand, oh! how sorrowful to see friends part. 
The ship is loaded and the tim.e is set for start- 
ing; and persons taking passage gather on 
board; and their friends sit by their sides talking 
and telling messages to carry to friends beyond. 
The minutes fly like seconds, and the time 
comes nearer and nearer ; and at length the or- 
der is given to draw in the planks. Quivering 



THROUGH THE WEST. 383 

lips are then touched and trembling hands are 
shaken, and with a sorrowful "Good-by" those 
not going rush ashore. The planks are drawn 
in, the moorings are cut loose, the great ship is 
hauled out into the open bay by a tug-boat, and 
when she is whirled about and her bow pointed 
toward the Golden Gate the cannon is fired, the 
great wheel begins to roll, and the great mon- 
ster, looking like a planet upon the waves, 
moves gracefully away. Then comes the affect- 
ing scene. Friends stand upon the beach waving 
their handkerchiefs, and as they see the dearest 
on earth glide out of sight upon the treacherous 
waves vent is given to strongest grief, and heart- 
rending sighs waft out upon the ocean breeze. 

I have witnessed eome touching scenes, one of 
which I shall not soon forget. I was at the 
wharf when the great ship Australia was 
whirled about, her cannon discharged, and she 
started for the island from which she took her 
name; and I saw the scene. There was one 
aged woman whose only son was on board ; and 
she stood upon the shore and sobbed as if her 
heart would break as he rode away. When the 
ship faded in the distance she fainted away and 
was carried off. Oh! what great necessity must 



384 romspert's travels 

have forced that son abroad, or what a hard and 
cruel heart he must have had to grieve his poor 
old mother's heart and drown her cries in the 
briny waves. How I thought of the great 
Washington, who gave up his voyage because of 
his good mother's grief. 

We were not satisfied with looking over the 
waters, but we were anxious to ride the waves. 
Accordingly we hired a plunger, about twenty 
feet long, with a mast about twelve feet high 
and a single sail ; and though we were all green- 
horns upon the waters, we pushed into the bay. 
We thought we would take a fish ; so we got 
tackling, bought three fish-worms for twenty 
cents, and dragged our lines behind the boat. 
We started early in the morning when the wind 
was low and the tide was running out; and we 
sailed merrily away. 

The Golden Gate is about six miles up the 
bay ; and we glided among the tugs and schoon- 
ers and around the great anchored steamers, and 
at length reached the gate. Here the bay nar- 
rows, and the entrance to the open sea is about 
h'alf a mile wide. On eiXher side the rough, 
barren blufi:s rise several hundred feet high; and 
numbers of big government guns planted upon 
the crests look down over the gateway. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 385 

We launched out into the sea and for our first 
time rode upon the king of waters. The breeze 
was favorable, and we shot along until the beach 
^vas left in the dim distance. We then con- 
cluded we were far enough. As far as the eye 
could reach the waters idly tossed ; and the mist 
hung over the sea like smoke over a burning 
prairie. The sea-gulls rocked upon the waves, 
the spirt-whales rose to the surface and blew the 
brine far into the air, and the dark sea-lions 
rose to utter their loud roars and then disappear 
again among the waves. 

Our sail out was very pleasant; but the wind 
had now grown strong, and being directly 
against us on our return — with our little knowl- 
edge of sailing — we were in bad quarters. We 
tossed about, and several times came near upset- 
ting. We had to jerk down the sail, and at 
length learned to manage the rudder and to zig- 
zag the boat; and about twilight we glided back 
through the gate into the bay. The wind was 
now roaring over the sea, and the waves rolled 
and tossed and churned it into foam; and it 
seemed to me that every time we came down 
we were going clear under. We here turned 
with the breeze again, and shot down through 

25 



386 



romspert's travels 



the bay, with the tide, like an arrow. We ran 
down among the other vessels at the harbor and 



/ 





SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 



were lashed up against their sides and tossed 
helplessly about until eight o'clock, when we 
came up to the shore. We had not caught a 
iish, and boat-riding had ceased to be pleasant. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 387 

The owner was very anxious about his boat ; for 
he said he had lost several boats by greenhorns 
taking them out and getting capsized and sink- 
ing them. God knows we were as anxious to 
bring the boat in safely as he was. 

We had often thought and talked about swim- 
ming to the shore from wrecks on the ocean ; 
but since we saw the waters we think swimming 
is but a faint hope; for when the breeze is so 
light that it is hardly noticeable the waters toss 
a foot high, and when the wind blows a little 
they roll several feet high, and at no time is the 
surface still and smooth. 

The tide goes out every morning and comes 
in every evening; and it is delightful to sit upon 
the beach when the pale beams of the sinking 
sun are kissing the waves, and see it come roll- 
ing in. Kidges of water about three feet high, 
reaching from right to left as far as the eye can 
reach and about one hundred yards apart, chase 
each other to the shore; and as they strike upon 
the breakers the spray is lashed high against the 
rocky beach and roars like a forest hurricane. I 
have sat here for hours, lost in reflection ; and the 
spell was only broken by the falling of the twi- 
light veil. 



388 romspert's travels 

There are persons Ijere who make tlieir living 
by fishing; and ahnost every day they set out 
for the mouth of the Sacramento River or the 
southern neck of the bay, and at niglit come 
back with their boats loaded with the most beau- 
tiful fish. I have seen sturgeon four feet long, 
and with heads as large as a man's. 

There is yet another place of which I must 
speak in connection with Frisco, and that 
is Woodward's Garden, a place noted for its 
beauty and known by everybody for miles 
around. It is situated on a hill about a mile 
south of the city, and is surrounded by a high, 
strong fence and a thick growth of tall cedars. 
It contains about four acres, and is decorated 
with the most beautiful firs, cedars, and droop- 
ing willows; and great fountains toss their cool, 
sparkling waters high in the air and fall it into 
uice, large ponds, where sport almost all kinds 
of aquatic animals and fowls. 

There are several pretty passes under the hills 
and some lovely caves through which course 
streamlets of clear, cool water. In the walls of 
these caves are arranged large glass cases 
through which the water bubbles and in which 
nestle, among pretty pieces of coral, the most 



THROUGH THE WEST. 389 

beautiful fishes of all shapes an<l colors. Some 
have no eyes ; and others have such curious 
shapes that it takes close observation to find the 
head or even to tell whether thej^ are animate 
objects. 

There are several fine, large buildings in the 
garden, and one of the finest museums I ever 
passed through. Birds of the most gaudy plum- 
age, from every climate of the earth, sing and 
croak among the little trees in their tine, large 
cages, and the air was laded with their sweet, 
merry songs. 

There is also an elegant theater, and lunch- 
rooms ; and there are several entertainments given 
here each week. On the whole, I suppose there 
is not a more beautiful, interesting, and instruct- 
ive place on the continent. All persons visiting 
California should by all means go to see this 
great museum. Great crowds gather into the 
garden almost every day, — especially Sunday, — 
and the admission being twenty-five cents there 
must be thousands of dollars taken in every 
year; though it must also take a vast amount to 
keep up the place. There are so many subter- 
ranean passages and high, curious galleries that 
it takes a half day to examine all the beauties 



390 romspert's travels 

and curiosities; and strangers will miss balf 
then unless they hire a guide to take them 
through. 

We had now traveled every street and fully 
acquainted ourselves with the great city of San 
Francisco, and had made excursions out through 
the country for miles around, so we determined 
to take a trip up to Oregon and Washington 
Territory to see the brag countries of the north- 
west. 

There is great competition between these 
points; and though the regular fare is ten dol- 
lars, there was just then a big war between the 
ship-lines. While one was charging no fare, the 
other was transporting passengers free and 
boarding them besides. This was a very good 
time to go to Portland ; so we boarded the 
steamer Oregon, which glided out upon the 
waters and steered for the north. 

The distance is five hundred miles; and in 
four days we sailed into the mouth of the Co- 
lumbia River. The river is very wide and deep 
here, and the current is very strong; but we 
steamed up to where the Willamette empties in 
from the south, and then cast anchor and in 
boats sailed down to Portland, and to Salem, the 
capital of the state. 



THROUGH THE WEST. 391 

The Willamette valley is a rich and beautiful 
country, and, I suppose, tlie greatest wheat-field 
on the continent. Much other grain is also 
raised. Low mountains liem the valley on either 
side, and the slopes are covered with the most 
beautiful large timber. 

Portland and Salem are both pretty cities ; 
and though small now, the rich Willamette soil 
promises to make them large and active cities in 
the future. 

We now sailed back to the Columbia and up 
to Walla Walla, a little town on the Columbia 
shore in the eastern part of Washington Terri- 
tory, where the Snake River brings in its waters. 
Here is also a beautiful, level, valley country, 
and settlers are rearing their cabins in every di- 
rection. Walla Walla has as glittering a pros- 
pect as any other upon the Pacific slope, though 
its day may be far in the future. 

We had seen heavy forests, but Washington 
Territory beats anything on this score that we 
ever saw. The very richest soil is covered with 
trees from three to six feet over, and standing so 
closely together that a ray of sunshine scarcely 
ever gets through the tangled branches. What 
has been cleared proves to be very productive ; 



392 



but, oh, my ! the clearing. Why, it would take 
a man nearly a life-time to clear himself a farm; 
for even when the trees are felled and burned, 
the great rooty stumps are so thick that no farm- 
ing can be done until they are grubbed and blasted 
out. This will necessarily be slow work; but I 
prophesy for this country a bright future. There 
are numbers of saw-mills buzzing iu the forests, 
and much of the finest lumber is shipped down 
to the coast cities; but timber being also good 
all along the Pacific shipes, the lumber business 
is not very profitable. There are many of the 
straightest, smoothest, and tallest saplings here 
that were ever seen, and great numbers are cut 
dow^n every year for ship-masts. 

Imported stock is bred here in great herds; 
and numbers of the very largest and finest 
horses are sold and sent out from here every 
year. The climate is the greatest drawback to 
the country. Like in California, there is a wet 
and a dry season ; but the former lasts about 
six months or more, during wdiich time it 
rains almost constantly, and settlers say the 
sun is hidden sometimes for several months. 
The streams then overflow, and persons can fish 
all over their farms — and some fine white salmon 



THROUGH THE WEST. 393 

and other varieties are caught. Moss grows all 
over the roofs of the buildings, and hangs from 
the forest-limbs clear down to the ground. Dur- 
ing this season persons do not pretend to do 
much but fish and float logs; but when the dry 
season sets in the weather is delightful, and it 
is as prett}^ a country to live in as lies between 
the oceans. 

When we were ready to go south again we 
found that the Republican (one of the competi- 
tors between Portland and Frisco) had been 
wrecked, and the Oregon line was now charging 
its own rates; and the fare for our return was 
suflScient to make up for our free ride. 

We ran out of the mouth of the Columbia^ 
and had not gone far when we hove in sight of 
the stranded Republican, reeling upon the rocks. 
The wind was high, and tha waves were lashing 
up against her sides; and she was heaving and 
groaning, while most of her rigging had been 
torn away by the gale. She proved a total 
wreck; and several lives were lost. There was- 
great excitement about the matter, and the cap- 
tain was strongly accused of being bought off' by 
the other line, and purposely driving her awreck; 
for it was shown that on the night of the acci- 



394 



dent the wind was very high and the sea was 
rolling terribl}^ and the sailors pleaded with the 
captain to go ashore before dark, or else ran out 
farther on the ocean out of danger from the 
breakers. But he was heedless, and the conse- 
quence was that in the darkness of the night 
they were driven upon the bars. 

Well, we ran down to the south, most of the 
time in sight of land, until we again reached 
Frisco, and from there we again embarked for 
Santa Barbara, on the southern coast of Califor- 
nia, a distance of about two hundred miles. 
. We now reached the most delightful spot on 
earth, where winter never comes, but where the 
bright summer lasts the whole year round. The 
cool fall winds were now blowing in the central 
and northern states, and the bitter frosts were 
clipping the leaves from the forest-trees ; but 
here the soft zephyrs were breathing calmly, and 
the tender foliage of the trees and plants was 
green and fresh as in the month of May, while 
the air was laded with the breath of the lovely 
flowers and delicious fruits. The rich oranges, 
lemons, and figs, which are considered such deli- 
cacies in the East, were here hanging upon the 
native bush, and we went forth and plucked 



THROUGH THE WEST. 395 

them in all their luitural beauty. IIow lovely! 
What a paragon of beauty ! A life here would 
be but a continuous summer's day. 

The country around Los Angeles, which lies a 
little to the south, is a perfect Eden, and the city 
is a perfect gem; and persons seeking a peer for 
paradise, where December is pleasant as May, 
should journey to California and anchor in the 
sweet, sunny South, where the breath of heaven 
fans the shore. 

From here we w^ent down the Soutliern Pacific 
Railroad, and branched off" to Prescott, the capi- 
tal of Arizona. Here we met the great General 
John 0. Fremont, the daring explorer who 
served the Government so nobly between the 
years 1842-8, by his exploits through the bleak, 
lonel}' mountains and wild lands of the savage, 
and whose talent the nation has felt and acknowl- 
edged. He was born in South Carolina in the 
year 1813, and though his great name was once 
in every mouth on the Atlantic slope, and even 
sung in the national campaign of 1856, the orient 
has almost forgotten her son and servant, whose 
lips have touched the waters of every river be- 
tween the shores, and whose hairs have grown 
gray in her service ; and far beyond the Missis- 



396 romspert's travels 

sippi he is to-day governing the dismal, desert 
territory of Arizona, his youth gone, glory 
flown, and naught but his insignificant guberna- 
torial salary to guard poverty from his door. 

The climate here is intensely hot, and the sur- 
face is dry and sandy. General Fremont thinks 
that a portion of the territory could be flooded 
from the Pacific, and thereby be made produc- 
tive; and his scheme has been presented to con- 
gress. 

They were just building the Southern Pacific 
Railroad through here when we were there, and, 
from the intense heat and burning sands, it was 
found impossible to work at it except about three 
or four months in the year. The road is, how- 
ever, now finished, and the Union Pacific has a 
rival in the route across the continent. 

On our return back to Frisco we went up a 
branch of the Central Pacific, and ran out on 
the stage to the big trees upon the Sierra Nevada 
slopes. We had stood in the forests in Ohio, 
and looked up at the great oaks and called them 
mammoths; but great glory ! here was a whole 
forest in a single tree. The trunks are from ten 
to fifteen feet in diameter, with summits reared 
so high that they appear to sweep the sky as 



THROUGH THE WEST. 397 

they are swayed to and fro by the upper cur- 
rents; and away up among the spreading boughs 
nestle and scream the great eagles, lookuig like 
sparrows. The stage-route runs clear through 
the forest, and right by the largest trees, which 
rear their heads to the enormous height of three 
and four hundred feet, and right tli rough the 
hollow trunk of the king of the forest, which 
fell in a storm some years ago. Some idea can 
be formed of the immensity of this tree when I 
tell you that the driver keeps his seat and a four- 
horse stage-coach runs lengthwise through its 
body with perfect ease. People are living in 
some of the trees, and have doors and windows 
cut out; and some very fair-looking two-story 
houses are made with these natural walls. Many 
of the trees have been felled, and it is found that 
all the largest are but shells. One was cut down, 
divided into sections, and taken to the Centen- 
nial. The most interesting part of our journey 
was the curling route among these tow^ering Pa- 
cific monuments ; and all tourists to the West, 
wishingr to see the curiosities of the world, 
should not fail to ride out among the wonders 
upon the Sierra Nevada slopes. 



398 romspert's travels 

We now returned to Frisco and prepared to 
return to Ohio. We sailed across the bay, and, 
taking a last long look over the tossing sea, we 
bid the waves good- by, and then rattled along 
over the iron trail of the Union Pacific, reach- 
ing home safe and sound, when the snow-flakes 
were flying in the wintry air of 1879. How un- 
natural all things appeared ! Where are the 
great hills which used to almost barrier the pub- 
lic way ? Why, the roads are almost smooth as 
a floor. Where are the bi": fields that it used to 
take days to plow, and the great forests through 
which we used to hunt? All appear but garden- 
spots, and tit for the spade instead of the plow; 
and the woods are too small for a home for 
even the squirrel or wood- chuck. All eflbrts to 
see the old homestead as in years gone by are 
vain. The towering peaks of the Rockies, and 
the steep, stony slopes of the Green Horns can 
not be banished from my mind, and the great 
world of level prairie is too fresh in m^^nemory. 

I have been home now some time; and to this 
day farms are but gardens and the bills are as 
clods. Like experience can only prove the eflect. 
I have roamed through twenty states and territo- 
ries, and have in a measure satisfied that desire 



THROUGH THE WEST. 399 

which was the source of my boyish dreams* 
The adventure is but familiar talk, and the wild 
chase is but common exercise. But how much 
better am I oft* than he who is content without 
travel? I now only realize how wonderful is the 
world and its workings, and how much there is 
that I never shall see. Travel is prone to dis- 
turb content; and discontent is the greatest 
enemy to the human mind. Of course, this is 
directed to persons who travel to satisfy the 
mind; for they whom circumstances crowd from 
home show pluck and shrewxlness in careful 
prospecting. I can assure you that I have seen 
a great deal, and much that I never wish to see 
again. And if in this brief work I have suc- 
ceeded in giving my readers even a limited idea 
of the country through which I passed, I feel 
sure that they will relieve me of my responsible 
undertaking ; for it is by far too much for these 
few pages. 



400 romspert's travels 



¥H0 SHOULD GO ¥EST. 



Since I arrived from my tour through the 
West scarcely a day passes that there are not 
fiome persons, from almost every occupation and 
position in life, interrogating me as to the 
chances and prospects in the West. A general 
answer can not be given, for circumstances vary. 
Though I can not be as general and emphatic in 
my advice as was the great Horace Greeley 
when he said, "Young man, go west and grow 
up with the country," I can say from real expe- 
rience and practical observations that for some 
toward the Pacific there is wealth. I emphasize 
the word "•some-/^ for there are dispositions that 
will never prosper in this noted, novel land. 

It should be remembered that going west from 
Ohio is not going west from N'ew York ; for the 
splendid forests, the beautiful, rich valleys, and 
the great commercial advantages fade quickly 
before the emigrant when he leaves the Missis- 



THROUGH THE WEST. 401 

sippi and marches toward the western sea. 
When the Missouri is once crossed, the great 
American stage is then entered upon, where the 
plays are different and numerous and wdiere the 
shrewdest men are actors. Instead of the hones t 
peasant, grubbing and planting by his little 
cabin in the dense forest, there are the trickster, 
the knave, the thief, each playing his faithful 
part. Business is all swept along by the wave 
of excitement, — as can be collected from the 
present work, — and under such circumstances 
there are very many who can not stand prosper- 
ity. Wages are always good. Money is usually 
made easy; and the result of such conditions is 
only too well known. Fine dress is not re- 
quired, and money is plenty. For him who has 
enough control over himself to take advantage 
of the situation there is a glittering prospect. 
There are persons on the prairies and in the 
mountains to-day who are gatherini^ money like 
leaves in autumn. 

I have tried to describe the country as it is ; 
and my readers of different occupations can 
draw conclusions and choose localities for them- 
selves. But my advice to those who are com- 
fortably nestling in the folds of civilization, 



402 romspert's travels 

where the church-bell strikes, where the scTiool- 
houses dot the land, and where utter want is 
ever barred, is, Stay where you are ; educate 
your children and be content with good. To 
those who have no money, — especially those who 
have families, — I will say, For God's sake stay 
wdiere help is near and charity abounds ; for I 
assure you that I have seen the destitute in a 
strange land. 

Of course, there are beautiful lands in parts 
of several states and territories, where good 
farms can be had, and where, some time in the 
future, the steeples of great cities will glitter in 
the sunlight. There is, undoubtedly, an opening 
here for the agriculturist; but emigrants must 
expect to find the country new, the facilities and 
accommodations scarce, and the neighbors poor. 
To be safe, they should always have sufficient 
capital to run them a year or two. I have 
known persons to drift west with the excite- 
ment and arrive in a splendid land without a 
cent, as though expecting to find bread upon the 
bushes, crops ready to harvest, and wealthy 
neighbors. The first year's crop failed because 
of insects, drought, or some other peculiarity of 
the western prairie, and their condition was then 



THROUGH THE WEST. 403 

more deplorable than the poorest from whence 
they came. 

There are persons who make it a business to 
accommodate the unfortunate settlers with mon- 
ey; but the security is mortgage on property, 
and the interest is usually two per cent per 
month, or twenty-four per cent per year, and 
some are obliged to pay fifty per cent. Borrow- 
ed money never fails to produce a crop; but the 
soil may fail, and produce is also of poor sale. 
From this hint warning consultations can be 
drawn, and persons with families should take 
heed. 

To the agriculturalist I can speak favorably of 
Kansas, Nebraska (page 40), and eastern Da- 
kota; but should the Indian Territory be opened 
to settlement (as it will soon be), there is the 
place to fly, for it is acknowledged the hot-bed 
of the West. Emigrants will find it convenient 
if prepared with a mess-box as described (page 
94). For cattle and sheep business on a big scale, 
go to Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico (page 
168). For health-giving and delightful summer- 
resorts (and I might here add that there are 
thousands dying in the East to-day who would 
be hale and hearty in the West), I can speak 



404 



ROMSPERT S TRAVELS 



highly of Maintou Springs, Colorado (page 258 
-264), and also Las Vegas Hot Springs, New 
Mexico. The latter are twenty-two in number, 
and beautifully located about four miles above 
the pretty city of Las Vegas. They have an al- 
titude of six thousand four hundred feet — the 
elevation which has made Colorado such a favor- 
ite resort for those afiected with pulmonary com- 
plaints — with a decided advantage over some of 
the northern resorts as to latitude and health- 
giving climate. The character of the water is 
similar to that of the famous Hot Springs of 
Arkansas, as shown by the following chemical 
analysis made by Prof. Ilayden, United States 
geologist : 



CONSTITUKNTS. 



SPRING NO. 1. 



NO. 2 



NO. 3 



Sodium carbonate 

Caliuum carbonate 
Magnesium carbon'te 

Sodium sulphate 

Sodium chloride 

Potassium.. 

Litheium 

Silicid acid 

Sodium 

Bromine 

Temperature 



1.72 
1.08 

14.12 

27.26 

Trace 

Strong trace 

1.04 

Trace 

Trace 

130°F 



117 

10.63 

15.43 
24.37 
Trace 
Strong trace 
Trace 
Trace 
Trace 
123°F 



5.00 

11.43 

16.21 

27.34 

Trace 

Strong trace 

2.15 

Trace 

Trace 

123°F 



This showing speaks volumes to those familiar 
with thermal springs. Their waters are of a 



THROUGH THE WEST. 405 

superior medicinal character. The climate is 
not bleak nor harsh in winter, and is very brac- 
ing and pleasant in summer. The plateau upon 
which they are located may be considered the 
great sanitarium in this country for lung-dis- 
eases. Prominent Boston gentlemen have pur- 
chased and improved the property; and every 
visitor is delighted. 

Now, in conclusion, I will again assert that 
there are splendid opportunities for persons of 
most classes and occupations. But I almost hesi- 
tate to advise young men to go there (page 221) ; 
for, as was said, all is excitement. The society 
is bad, and vices are so numerous (202) that 
many persons will fall under such circumstan- 
ces; and such a fall is grieving many a good 
parent to-day. 

Work can be had on the prairie or in the 
mountains at any time in the summer-season ; 
and wages are always good. But to succeed, you 
must be lirm, resolve to resist the evils, and be 
not led astray. Take care of your earnings, and 
you can save money. 

I have been as elaborate in my description as 
space will permit, and upon facts stated my 
readers may rely and base their actions. What- 



406 romspert's travels. 

ever my ideas taken from this volume may be, 
I assure you that my chosen profession and 
peculiar situation are all that keep me from 
following the sun in his course to-morrow. 

For I know full well 
That the future will tell 
The advantages hidden 
In the now rude West. 



THE END, 






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